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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 Services 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 644 attendances at the ante-natal clinic at 118 Hermon
Hill.
At this Clinic sessions are held weekly on an appointments system,
midwives examining their own patients and working in close cooperation
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 co-operation
between doctor and midwife.
Mothers booked for hospital confinement attend the local authority
ante-natal clinic for routine intermediate examinations. In die event
of any abnormality becoming manifest, the case is referred at once
to the Obstetrician at the Hospital.
About 60 per cent of the births in the Borough take place in
hospital. Discharges are notified promptly and are followed up bv
either the Midwife or Health Visitor depending on the day following
delivery on which the discharge takes place.
A very good liaison is maintained 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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