London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Barnes 1939

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Barnes]

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34
Section VII.
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
The Barnes Borough Council is the Welfare Authority for the
area. As such the Council is responsible for carrying out the duties
under the Public Health Act, 1936, Part VII in connection with
notification of births, maternity and child welfare, and child life
protec ion.
The Council is not the Local Supervising Authority under the
Midwives Act.
Infantile Mortality.
In the absence of information from the Registrar General as to
vital statistics with reference to infantile deaths assignable to the
district, information on this subject will be found in the Appendix.
Maternal Mortality.
Information on this subject will be found in the Appendix.
(1) MIDWIFERY AND MATERNITY SERVICES.
Ante-natal clinics, held at the Council's Maternity and Child
Welfare Centres, at Essex House and at the "Health Centre," are
available for expectant mothers and for post-natal cases. The work
of these clinics is referred to under the heading "Maternity and
Child Welfare Centres."
The services of a Consulting Obstetrician are available in cases of
difficult or complicated labour, and in cases of puerperal fever or
puerperal pyrexia.
Institutional provision for maternity cases under the Council's
Maternity and Child Welfare Scheme was continued unchanged
during 1939. Of the total births assignable to the district 191
occurred in institutions (hospitals or maternity homes situated either
within or without the Borough).

These institutional confinements occurred as follows:—

In institutions within the Borough..65
In registered maternity homes65..
In institutions outside the Borough..126
In general hospitals17..
In maternity hospitals52..
In Public Health County hospitals18..
In Public Assistance institutions21..
In maternity homes18..
Total191