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CARE OF MOTHERS AND YOUNG CHILDREN
Ante-Natal and Post-Natal Clinics
Number of cases attended :
Ante-Natal Attendances Post-Natal Attendances
1,032 3,710 236 238
Sessions held (Medical Officer in attendance) 358.
Ante-natal relaxation and post-natal exercises are taught in all the clinics. 646
women made 3,590 attendances at these clinics during the year.
In accordance with the recommendation of the Cranbrook Committee, who suggested
that general practitioner obstetricians could work in the ante-natal clinics of
local authorities, approval was given in 1966 to a group of family doctors in Barnes
for the use of Essex House on one half day per week for an ante-natal and post-natal
session. The object was to incorporate their own session with the existing local
authority session. Other individual or group of family doctors would be afforded the
same facility if they so desired. A second group of doctors were subsequently afforded
facilities for an ante-natal clinic at Essex House and at the end of the year two groups
were using the Clinic.
Incidence of Congenital Malformations
Since 1st January, 1964 the Ministry of Health have required all congenital
malformations in new-born babies to be notified by Local Health Authorities to the
Registrar General, so as to enable the latter to complete statistical information from
which to detect any national or regional changes in the pattern of congenital malformations.
The number of babies born with defects during 1967 was 45.
Puerperal Pyrexia Regulations
One case of puerperal pyrexia was notified during the year from a local maternity
unit. The patient lived in a neighbouring borough and subsequently recovered.
Family Planning
The Council has made arrangements through the Family Planning Association
for advice and treatment (including supplies) to be given to women to whom pregnancy
would be detrimental to health. This service is provided free of charge to the patients,
the Council accepting financial responsibility for patients in this category referred for
advice and treatment by its own medical officers. During 1967 fourteen such patients
were referred.
The Council does not operate family planning clinics but has made available to
the Family Planning Association the free use of four of its clinics (Hampton Wick;
Kings Road, Richmond; Whitton, and Windham Road, Richmond) for the purpose
of holding family planning sessions.
The National Health Service (Family Planning) Act, 1967 received the Royal
Assent on 28th June, 1967. The Act confers on local authorities the power, though
not the duty, to make arrangements to give advice on contraception, medical examination
of persons seeking such advice and the supply of contraceptive substances and
appliances. It also extends the existing powers of local health authorities enabling them
to provide advice on contraception and supplies for any person who needs them on
social grounds and not (as hitherto) only in medical cases, namely those to whom
pregnancy would be detrimental to health. No distinction is drawn in the Act between
the married and the unmarried.
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