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19
(3) Maternity and Child Welfare.
This branch of the Health Services of the Borough has been
continued on the same lines as recorded in previous reports.
Five sessions are held weekly, three in Chiswick and two in
Brentford, and a lecture is given at each Wednesday afternoon
session in Chiswick. It is recognised that the chief function of
these clinics is the prevention of disease and disability, and the
policy of using them chiefly for the giving of advice and for
education is maintained.
In practice, however, it has been found that to make that
advice and education effective it is necessary to provide some
form of treatment in connection with these clinics, especially
for dental and orthopaedic defects. The School Medical Service
has provided such clinics for school children and they are
available and very much used by those attending the Maternity
and Child Welfare Clinics. These women and children can also
make use of other clinics provided by this Authority, viz., the
Minor Ailment, Eye, Rheumatism and Immunisation Clinics.
When the new clinic in Brentford is opened there will be in
addition a Sun Ray Clinic.
As an adjunct tp these clinics we had very satisfactory
arrangements with the Chiswick Hospital for the treatment of
disorders of the tonsils and adenoids, but that service has been
in abeyance pending the re-building of that hospital, and we
have had to get these children treated elsewhere. This has been
a considerable handicap as it has meant tiresome journeys for
the mothers and long delay in obtaining treatment as most other
hospitals have such long waiting-lists of children requir'ng
operations for tonsils and adenoids.—
The following were referred to our own treatment clinics:—
Dental Clinic : 66 mothers, 183 children.
Orthopaedic Clinic: 43 children.
Rheumatism Clinic: 1 mother, 3 children.
Minor Ailment Clinic: 8 children.
Immunisation Clinic: In all cases, mothers bringing their
children to the Maternity and Child Welfare Centres are asked
to have them immunised against Diphtheria.
Apart from the above, when it is found that other forms of
treatment are required, the children are referred to their own
doctors or to a suitable hospital.