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Town Hall,
Ealing, W.5.
15th June, 1947.
Madam Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,
I have the honour to submit to you the Annual Report on
the two hospitals for the year 1946-47.
The national birth rate continues to rise and the number of
births in your district therefore continues to increase, and this is
well reflected in the statistics of the Maternity Hospital. Furthermore
the Ministry of Health, in May of this year, in order to
ensure the maximum usage of beds advised that consequent on a
recent resolution of the Central Midwives' Board, all patients could
now be discharged from maternity units on the tenth day instead
of on the fourteenth day.
This has naturally resulted in an increased number of patients
being admitted, and during the period under review a total of
1191 patients have secured admission to Perivale Hospital, an
increase of 25% as compared with the previous twelve months
and an all time record figure. Such a list of cases is, of course,
exceptional and could never have been contemplated for a hospital
of 40 beds, but it does emphasise the demand for institutional
care of maternity cases in the district.
The number of emergency cases admitted has also increased
and the fact that in 21 cases both the mother and baby were well
on discharge from hospital, and in the remaining instance the
pregnancy proceeded normally after treatment in the hospital,
reflects great credit on the care and skill of the medical and
nursing staff.
A perusal of the case histories illustrates that most of the
known complications of labour and the puerperium have been encountered
during the year, with a nil maternal mortality, and it
is pleasing to note that it has also been possible to admit more
ante-natal cases for treatment, 130 patients as compared with 87
patients during 1945-46. This last is preventive work of the
highest order and enables many conditions to resolve before the
labour commences.
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