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STAFF
In addition to my duties as Medical Officer of Health for the Borough
I am in administrative control of Part III Services under the National
Health Service Act, 1946, sections 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 28 and 29.
There are normally two medical officers of the Essex County Council
working in the Borough and undertaking duties appertaining to
Maternity and Child Welfare as well as three practitioners who regularly
attend Child Welfare Clinics being employed on a sessional
basis.
CARE OF MOTHERS AND YOUNG CHILDREN (Section 22)
There were 441 attendances at the ante-natal clinic at 118 Hermon
Hill.
At this Clinic sessions are held weekly, midwives examining their
own patients and working in close co-operation with the general
practitioners concerned.
One general practitioner conducts an ante-natal clinic for his own
patients at this surgery, with a Local Authority midwife in attendance.
The scheme works well and achieves a maximum of cooperation
between doctor and midwife.
All expectant mothers have a blood specimen taken for examination
and all with a rhesus negative result are advised to have their
confinement in hospital.
Mothers booked for hospital confinement attend the ante-natal
clinic for routine intermediate examinations. In the event of any
abnormality becoming manifest, the case is referred at once to the
Obstetrician at the Hospital.
About 65 per cent of the births in the Borough take place in
hospital. Discharges are notified promptly and are followed up by
either the Midwife or Health Visitor depending on the day following
delivery on which the discharge takes place.
A very good liaison is maintaind with the Maternity Department
of Wanstead Hospital.
RELAXATION EXERCISES
These classes have retained their popularity with expectant
mothers, and many mothers have expressed their appreciation of the
advice they have been given and the help they have found the instruction
to be at the time of their confinement. It is interesting to
note that more requests are now being received from General
Practitioners for their patients to attend these classes.
Three weekly sessions are held in the Clinic at 118 Hermon Hill,
the classes deliberately being kept numerically small to enable
individual attention to be given. By this means the Health Visitor
is enabled to maintain personal contact.
At these classes short talks are given on preparation for the
confinement and on various aspects of personal hygiene for mother
and infant.
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