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64
Supervision of the midwives practising on the district, including regular
inspections by the Medical Supervisor of Midwives, was carried out as in
previous years, and general supervision, in accordance with the Rules of
the Central Midwives Board, was exercised over the midwives practising
at the Ilford Maternity Hospital.
Suspension from Practice.—No Midwives were suspended from practice
during the year.
Medical Aid.—Medical aid was sought in 5 instances where the infant
was found to have inflamed or discharging eyes. The condition of the
eyes cleared satisfactorily.
Domiciliary Midwifery Service.—At the end of the year there were
8 Domiciliary Midwives employed by the County Council whole-time and
2 part-time, in addition to the Superintendent and Deputy Superintendent.
During the year 509 cases were attended. In 457 cases the midwives
were engaged to attend as midwives and in 52 cases as maternity nurses.
A Doctor was called in to 73 of the 457 cases in which a midwife
had been engaged.
Of the infants born there were 4 stillbirths. In 3 of these cases the
midwife was engaged as a midwife and in fhe remaining case as a maternity
nurse.
There were 3 deaths of infants during the first year of life where the
birth had been attended by a Domiciliary Midwife, 2 of these occurring
during the first two weeks of life.
Notices were received from the Domiciliary Midwives stating that
artificial feeding had been substituted in respect of 41 infants attended by
them during 1956.
During 1956 Ante-Natal Clinics conducted by the Domiciliary Midwives
were held weekly at Valentines Mansion and fortnightly at Mayes*
brook Clinic and Manford Wav Clinic. The following is a summarv of

In addition 2,496 home ante-natal visits were made during the year.
The scheme continues whereby the doctor and the midwife have a
consultation about their patient on three occasions (at specified intervals)
during the pregnancy. The examinations take place at the patient's home,
the doctor's surgery or at the Local Health Authority's Clinic, as mutually
agreed, but in practice the joint consultation is held in the majority of
cases in the doctor's surgery.
In view of the difficulty in filling vacancies for domiciliary midwives,
it was considered that the position would improve if housing accommodation
could be offered to successful applicants. An approach was therefore
made to the Ilford Borough Council, who agreed to provide housing accommodation,
where necessary, for midwives employed in the service of the
Ilford Health Area Sub-Committee. At the 31st December, 1956, two
maisonettes and one flat were being rented by the County Council from
the Borough Council under this arrangement.