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During 1947, 44 pupils from Thorpe Coombe obtained the
Part I and 34 the Part II Certificate of the Central Midwives Board.
The Council agreed to pay the examination fees.
(f) Conditions of Service.—The Council have adopted all the
recommendations of the Midwives' Salaries Committee.
The following has been compiled by Miss Helen Rodway,
F.R.C.O.G., Resident Obstetrician and Medical Superintendent.
THORPE COOMBE MATERNITY HOSPITAL
CLINICAL REPORT FOR 1947
It is with regret that the Medical Superintendent has to state
that this is the last complete annual report of the Hospital to the
Council of the Borough of Walthamstow as the hospital authority,
as on July 5th, 1948, when the National Health Service Act comes
into force, the Hospital will be transferred to the Regional Hospital
Board.
"Thorpe Coombe" with 35 maternity beds, two labour wards
and two nurseries, was opened in May, 1934. Since then there
have been added to the Hospital an ante-natal clinic, eight maternity
beds with two small nurseries, a post-natal or isolation block, a
nurses home and medical officer's quarters.
Following the extensions of the hospital buildings which have
provided wider scope for our maternity service, the amount of work
carried out by the Hospital has, year by year, steadily increased.
During the eight months of 1934, there were 229 confinements
in the Hospital, and for the year 1947 the number increased to
1,253, bringing the total figure for 13 years and eight months to
10,814. Of the 1,253 confinements for this year, 814 were first
births, that is 64.9 per cent, of the total. Other confinements were
those of women admitted on account of a medical or obstetric
complication or because of unsuitable home conditions.
The number of infants born was 1,275 ; this includes 22 cases
of twins, a percentage of 1.7 relative to the total number of
confinements.
The number of admissions to the Hospital during the year was
1,462, including 65 unbooked cases, of which 21 were mothers
admitted with 22 infants. There were in addition 14 infant
admissions. Attendances at the ante-natal clinic were as usual
good; 1,275 expectant mothers making 10,511 attendances for
examination. The total number of attendances at the monthly
mothercraft classes was 679.