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65
Salvation Army Midwifery Service.—One Salvation Army Midwife
served in Ilford during the year. 45 cases were attended by her, 44 as a
midwife and 1 as a maternity nurse. A Doctor was called in to 17 of these
cases.
Of the infants born there were no stillbirths.
Notifications were received from the Salvation Army Midwife that it
was proposed to substitute artificial feeding in respect of 6 infants.
Gas and Air Analgesia.—During 1956 gas and air analgesia was
administered in 426 cases, of which 385 were attended by the Domiciliary
Midwives (343 when acting as midwives and 42 when acting as maternity
nurses) and 41 were attended by the Salvation Army midwife.
All the domiciliary midwives employed at the end of the year were
qualified to administer gas and air analgesia and the one Salvation Army
midwife was also so qualified.
As reported last year, with a view to effecting an economy in the
use of ambulance vehicles, arrangements are now in operation for the
midwives using cars in the course of their duties each to hold a machine
at their respective homes to take with them to their own cases and there are
three machines stored at the Ambulance Station for the use of the remaining
midwives. With regard to the latter, the relatives of the patient are
requested to collect a machine, where possible, but when they cannot do
this, arrangements are made for a machine to be transported from the
Ambulance Station to the house by a hired car.
The Salvation Army midwives also have two machines which are kept
at their Branch Home and taken or sent to the home of the patient when
required.
The service is freely available to all having home confinements, provided
there are no medical contra-indications, and each expectant mother
on booking the midwife is supplied with a leaflet explaining the nature
and the availability of the service.