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Maternity Sets.
Sterile maternity sets are supplied to midwives from whom they can be purchased at a
cost of three shillings. During the year 184 sets were sold.
Obstetric Consultant.
The services of the obstetric consultant can be obtained by general practitioners on request
for obstetric emergencies or cases of puerperal pyrexia. These services were utilised in three
cases during 1938 and no charge was made to the patient. A panel of consultants should be provided
for this work in an endeavour to ensure that one will be available when required.
Home Helps.
Home helps are provided by the Council in necessitous maternity cases. During 1938
home helps were provided for 59 cases as compared with 43 in 1937.
Institutional Provision for Mothers or Children.
No homes for mothers and babies, convalescent homes for mothers or children or day
nurseries have been established in the Borough by the Council or voluntary associations. During
the year four mothers, three accompanied by babies, and three children were sent by the Council
to convalescent homes.
Health Visitors.
Twelve health visitors who are also school nurses are employed by the Council. Their
work as health visitors consists of home visiting of mothers and children, attendance at infant
welfare, ante-natal and diphtheria immunisation clinics, visits re infectious disease in young
children, etc. A summary of the work of the Health Visitors is given below :—
Attendances at Infant Welfare Centres
Attendances at Ante-natal Clinics
Attendances at Diphtheria Immunisation Clinics
Visits to expectant mothers—first
subsequent
post natal
Visits to children under 1 year—first
subsequent
Visits to children 1 to 5 years
Visits re stillbirths
Visits re infant deaths
Visits re discharge from babies' eyes
Visits re infectious disease in children under 5 years
Child Life Protection visits
Miscellaneous visits—M. & C.W.
Public Health
854
292
254
197
85
24
1,342
2,885
4,370
43
50
18
407
663
261
428
No matter what clinic or treatment facilities a Welfare Authority may provide there will
always be need of home visiting by health visitors. Effective home visiting by efficient health
visitors is of primary importance in maternity and child welfare work. Without an appreciation
of the environmental conditions the best advice cannot be given. Moreover the careless and
indifferent mother, at the best an infrequent attender at centres or clinics, can only be reached
through home visiting. Poverty, ignorance, bad management, etc., can be discovered more
easily and tackled more effectively by home visits. Again a mother will discuss her difficulties
with the health visitor more freely in her own home than in a busy welfare centre.
To meet the needs of the rapidly increasing population of the Borough new centres and
clinics and additional sessions at others have been established and the staff of Health Visitors
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