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7
DOMESTIC HELP SCHEME.
During the year the Council instituted a Domestic Help scheme
to assist in the care of the aged and infirm persons and any cases of
illness where domestic assistance in the home is necessary. This
service should not be confused with the Home Help scheme, which has
been provided for maternity and child welfare reasons, mainly to
supply domestic help where a confinement takes place at home.
CLEANSING STATION.
The Barnes Cleansing Station continued to serve a necessary
purpose throughout the year. Incidence of infestation decreased by
about 28% as compared with the previous year. There has been
no alteration in the arrangements to combat infestation which were
enumerated in detail in my Annual Report for 1944.
In no case during the year was it found necessary to take statutory
action.
BOROUGH ACCIDENT AND GENERAL PURPOSES
AMBULANCE SERVICE.
On the 30th June the Borough Accident and General Purposes
Ambulance was transferred to the Council House, Mortlake High
Street.
Details of the number of journeys made and the types of cases
dealt with are given in Table 19.
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
On the 26th November, 1945 the infant welfare and ante-natal
clinics for the Mortlake Parish were once again able to return to the
pre-war building—the Health Centre, North Worple Way, Mortlake—
which had been specially built for the purpose in 1939, but which,
upon the outbreak of war, had been requisitioned for civil defence
purposes.
The number of births allocated to the Borough, after allowing for
inward and outward transfers, is 537 compared with 594 in the previous
year, giving birth rates of 15.5 and 18.0 per 1,000 population
respectively. The figures for 1945 show a decided decrease in the
birth rate, partially accounted for, no doubt, by the return of evacuees
to the Borough, thus increasing the population upon which the rates
are based.
It is interesting to note that of the 537 births, 59 were illegitimate,
approximately 11%.
In 1945, as in previous years, the death rate for infants under one
year of age was low in the Barnes Borough compared with the country
as a whole, which is a very satisfactory state of affairs.
As a result of Ministry of Health Circular 20 /44 upon the care of
premature infants, every possible measure has been taken to ensure