London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Sutton 1972
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Sutton]
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PERSONAL HEALTH SERVICES
Local Health Authority Personal Health Services are provided under the various sections of
Part III of the National Health Service Act 1946 and are complementary to the services
provided by the Regional Hospital Boards and Executive Councils.
The Local Authority Health Services give particular emphasis to the more vulnerable
members of the community, - expectant mothers, pre-school children, school children,
elderly and handicapped. The emphasis is on early detection of abnormality; cases requiring
treatment are referred either to the general practitioner or to hospital.
MATERNAL AND CHILD HEALTH
Births Notified by Medical Practitioners or Midwives - 1st January - 31st December, 1972
| (a) In the area including those normally resident elsewhere | (b) Resident in the area including those born elsewhere, i.e. adjusted by inward and outward transfers | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 1971 | 1972 | 1971 | ||
| Live Still | 2558 22 | 3447 28 | Live Still | 2263 18 | 2398 28 |
| TOTAL | 2610 | 3475 | TOTAL | 2281 | 2426 |
| Births in Hospital | 2153 | 2268 | |||
| Births at Home | 145 | 158 | |||
The number of home confinements continue to decrease but the work of the midwives has in fact
increased since they delivered 148 cases in hospital and provided additional ante-natal and post
natal service for hospital booked cases.
Prematurity
Full schedule showing statistics will be seen in Table 11 in the Appendix to this report.
| TOTAL | Non-Premature | Premature | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1972 | 1971 | 1972 | 1971 | 1972 | 1971 | |
| Live births | 2263 | 2398 | 2247 | 2262 | 151 | 136 |
| Deaths among live births in the first month of life | 19 | 25 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 14 |
| Stillbirths | 18 | 28 | 8 | 12 | 10 | 16 |
The Department of Health and Social Security's definition of a premature birth is one when the
infant at birth weights 5 lbs. 8 ozs. or less.
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