London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Walthamstow 1958
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Walthamstow]
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The table below shows the number of visits carried out by the district midwives and home nurse/midwives:—
| Ante-Natal Examinations | Deliveries | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patients' Homes | Midwife's House | L.H.A. Clinics | G.P.S'Clinics | Mid. | Mat. | Lying-in Visits | Total Visits | |
| District Midwives | 954 | 140 | 1,753 | 1,117 | 73 | 196 | 3,496 | 7,729 |
| Home Nurse/ Midwives | 190 | – | 511 | 550 | 13 | 73 | 791 | 2,128 |
| Totals | 1,144 | 140 | 2,264 | 1,667 | 86 | 269 | 4,287 | 9,857 |
One midwife in private practice undertook eleven cases as
maternity nurse in a maternity home.
Trilene, and Gas and Air Analgesia.—A total of 326 patients
on the "district" received trilene or gas and air analgesia, representing
a percentage of 91.8 of district confinements.
Emergency Unit.—The Emergency Unit stationed at Thorpe
Coombe Maternity Hospital was not called out to a Walthamstow
case during 1958.
Maternity Outfits.—Outfits are issued for all home confinements.
Training of Pupil Midwives.—Thorpe Coombe Maternity
Hospital is a training school for both Parts I and II ,the latter in
association with home confinements on the "district". Twentyeight
pupil midwives passed the examination of the Central Midwives'
Board (Part II) during the year.
Zoning.—The Borough is now divided into three Zones each of
which has a team comprising:—
1 Full-time District Midwife (in charge).
2 District Nurse/Midwives.
2 Pupil Midwives.
The teams hold midwives ante-natal clinics at the Infant
Welfare Centres situated in the Zone. In this manner each member
of the team is known to each patient and is familiar with the patient's
ante-natal history. A copy of each ante-natal history card is kept
at the District Nurses' Training Home to guard against loss, etc.
The members of each team also attend Council Ante-natal
Clinic sessions held by Assistant County Medical Officers. In
addition, both District Midwives and District Nurse/Midwives
attend Antenatal Clinics held by General Practitioner/Obstetricians
in their surgeries for their "booked" patients.