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The average for the whole year was equal to 70.7 per cent.
beds occupied (based on 54 beds).
257 Walthamstow patients could not be booked nor 107
applicants from other areas.
Emergency Unit.- The services of the emergency unit were
not required during the year.
Gas and Air Analgesia.- The Maternity Hospital is approved
by the Central Midwives Board for the purpose of giving special
instruction in gas and air analgesia.
Training of Pupil Midwives.- The Hospital is approved by
the Central Midwives Board, jointly with the Middlesex Hospital,
for the training of pupil midwives in both Part I and Part II
of the training under the new rules.
During 1943, 21 pupils from Thorpe Coombe obtained the
Certificate of the Central Midwives Board.
Personnel of the Civil Defence Casualty Service gave
considerable nursing assistance.
The following Clinical Report has been compiled by
Miss Helen Rodway, M.R.C.O.G., Resident Obstetrician, who draws
attention to the following:-
"i. The satisfactory attendances made by patients at the
Clinics:. Patients have been booking early and making regular
attendances in spite of domestic worries and shopping difficulties,
Patients doing war work had no difficulty in getting time off for
attending for examination. In one or two factories where
Ante-natal clinics have been established our patients did not
take advantage of these facilities but attended the Thorpe Coombe
Clinics throughout their pregnancy. Very few patients continued
in employment after the seventh month of pregnancy.
ii. The attendances at the Post-natal clinic for an examination
six weeks after confinement were unusually good. I doubt if
in the future we shall at any time have a higher percentage of
patients attending the Clinic.
iii. Of the 33 stillbirths - 42 per cent. were due to a congenital
abnormality.
iv. Infant deaths: More than half of these were associated with
marked prematurity. The smallest infant that survived this
year weighed 2 lbs. 8 ozs.
v. Maternal Mortality:
Maternal mortality rate for England and Wales 2.29.
" " " " Thorpe Coombe 2.07.
THORFE COOMBE MATERNITY HOSPITAL.
CLINICAL REPORT FOR 1943.
During this year there were 891 confinements in the Hospital,
bringing the total number of confinements - since the Hospital
was opened in May 1934 - up to 6412. There 7vere 166 ante-natal
admissions to the Hospital and 6 post-natal.
Every patient attended the ante-natal clinic, in most cases
regularly on the day of appointment; 8,719 attendances were made
by the patients during pregnancy and 883 for examination, advice
or treatment after confinement. In addition there were large
attendances of ante-natal and nursing mothers at the monthly
Mothercreft lectures and discussions, and many young mothers took
advantage of the instruction given at the pre-natal and post-natal
exercise classes.
46.