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BOROUGH ACCIDENT AND GENERAL PURPOSES
AMBULANCE SERVICE.
The manning of the Borough Ambulance continued to be carried
out by whole-time women members of the Civil Defence Ambulance
Service, with the assistance of two whole-time paid male attendants.
I would like to record my appreciation of the excellent way in which
this service was carried out by these women members of the Civil
Defence services throughout the whole of the period they undertook
the work.
On the 19th December the manning of the ambulance was transferred
to a staff of paid men employed solely for the purpose.
During the year the Council decided to purchase a new Austin
Accident and General Purposes Ambulance, and this was received on
the 20th December, the old Talbot ambulance being retained as a
reserve vehicle.
Details of the number of journeys made and the types of cases
dealt with are given in Table 19.
MATERNITY AND CHILD-WELFARE.
The birth-rate for 1944 for Barnes remained the same as that of
the previous year—18.0 per 1,000 population.
Regular ante-natal clinics have been held four times each month,
and, where the numbers justified it, two additional clinics a month
have been held at each centre on Saturday mornings.
As previously mentioned, a Social Welfare Worker was appointed
during the year, and commenced duties in August. The post is a joint
one with the Borough of Richmond and has fulfilled a need in the
borough. Table 35 gives details of the work performed by this officer
during the last four months of the year.
At the beginning of the year one Home Help was employed. On
the 18th May a part-time Home Help was appointed, who later in
the year undertook full-time duties. Details of the work of this new
service are given in Table 40.
During the year Ministry of Health Circular No. 20/44 was
received requiring special provisions to be made for the care of
premature infants. Notification of any birth of a child whose birth
weight is five and a half pounds or less is now specifically required,
and provision for this information has been incorporated in the
Notification of Birth cards. The provision of suitable equipment
for use in the home, and special arrangements for the conveyance
and admission to hospital of the mother and child where this is
indicated, is being arranged in collaboration with the Surrey County
Council. The services of a Home Help are supplied wherever necessary
and available.