View report page

19
(3) Maternity and Child Welfare.
(i) It will be seen in the Table of Clinics on page 17 that five
sessions are held weekly in the Borough, two at Brentford and
three at Chiswiek. The Wednesday Clinic at the Chiswick
centre is mainly devoted to lectures by the Health Visitors, and
a Medical Officer attends at the end of the lecture to see any
children for whom advice is required. No time is specially set
aside for "Toddlers" only, but the advisability of establishing
such a clinic is under consideration by the Council.
At the ordinary clinics 892 children between 1 and 5 years
made 5,101 attendances. Of this number of children 189 were
new admissions. Babies under one year (including 496 new
admissions) made 7,765 attendances. All new children, both
infants and toddlers, are undressed and thoroughly examined
on admission and their general condition and any defects that
may be present are noted. The older children are submitted to
the same examination as those entering the schools. General
advice is given with regard to general hygiene, clothing and diet.
Regarding the last item it may be mentioned that in the
great majority of cases the infants are breast-fed, at any rate
during the first few months of their lives. The clinics are
essentially advisory centres and while minor defects, errors of
diet, etc., are dealt with by treatment or advice in these clinics,
when more serious conditions are found the parents are referred
to their own doctor or to a hospital or the appropriate clinic.
All the clinics established by the Education Committee are
available for the use of these children and especially is use made
of the Dental and Orthopaedic Departments. The Minor
Ailment clinic is also used for children suffering from inflamation
of the eyes or ears and for those requiring some skilled
daily dressing. Also the District Nurses undertake treatment
of children in the homes on receiving the written requests and
instructions of the Medical Officers.
The temporary closing at the end of the first quarter of the
Chiswick Hospital has been a decided handicap to us during
the year. This Hospital gives us many facilities and is always
ready to assist us whenever possible.
The following shows the children referred to clinics or
hospitals:—