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Where, in accordance with the assessment under the scale above, the amount due to the
Council is 2/6d. or less, 110 steps are taken for the recovery of such sum and it is written off.
Note.—When a medical practitioner is called in by a Municipal Midwife for whose services
the patient is not required to pay anything, no application for repayment of the fee is to be made
to the patient.
The Borough Treasurer suggested an insurance scheme, which was adopted, viz:—"That
a woman engaging a midwife be allowed to pay to the Council a sum of 5/- to cover the services
of any medical practitioner who may be called in by the midwife in a case of emergency, and
that such sum be accepted by the Borough Council in full settlement of any fees that may become
payable by them to a medical practitioner in accordance with the Midwives Acts and the Medical
Practitioners (Fees) Regulations 1936."
The Minister of Health sanctioned the scheme until 31st December, 1938, adding that the
experience in some of the districts where similar schemes have been tried, goes to show that there
is a risk of considerable financial loss which may not prove to have been justified.
It is too early to be able to give any indication as to the effects of this insurance scheme.
Forty-six Midwives notified their intention to practise in the Borough; sixteen of these
were Midwives at the West Middlesex County Hospital.
Notifications were received from midwives as follows:—
(a) Sending for Medical Aid—96; (b) Death—of Mother—1, of Baby—4; (c) Stillbirth—
9; (d) Having laid out dead body—Nil; (e) Liability to be a source of infection—2; (f) Substitution
of artificial feeding—5.
Compensation to Midwives.
Four Midwives residing in the Borough voluntarily surrendered their certificates, and one
midwife, on account of ill health, was directed to surrender her certificate to the Borough Council,
and received compensation under Section 5 of the Midwives Acts, 1936.
The Borough Council has also agreed with the County Council to pay a proportion of the
compensation payable, upon surrender of their certificates, to two midwives living in the County
area, but who had practised in Heston and Isleworth.
Post Certificate Courses.
Arrangements were made with the London County Council and the Middlesex County
Council whereby midwives practising in the Borough were enabled to attend Courses of PostCertificate
Lectures and Ante-Natal and Post-Natal Demonstrations organised by those Councils.
Several midwives availed themselves of the facilities offered.
Toddler's Clinics.
Arrangements are being made for the initiation of Toddlers' Clinics and for a Sunlight
Clinic, to commence next Autumn.
At the time of writing Nature seems to be providing most of the sunlight we require.
CHILD LIFE PROTECTION.
The Child Life Protection work has continued during the year without much change in
the numbers on the register. At the end of the year there were 64 foster-mothers who were
undertaking the care of 81 foster-children, compared with 66 foster-mothers and 82 fosterchildren
at the end of the previous year.
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