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wives practise from their training schools in the borough for a
short period after passing the examination of the Central Midwives'
Board.
Of the 60 midwives, only 9 were in private practice; 46
were employed by the various voluntary associations, and 5 by
the local authority in Forest Gate Hospital maternity unit. Five
of the private midwives resided in the borough; the remaining
four midwives lived in adjoining areas, and conducted respectively
a varying number of cases in West Ham.
Plaistow Maternity Hospital. This hospital is situated in
the centre of a densely populated district, and it has for many
years carried out excellent work in obstetrics. Further notes
upon this institution appear on page 225. During the year 1937
the number of births of West Ham residents in this institution
was 804. In addition, nurses from this hospital attended 1,242
mothers whose confinement took place in their own homes. The
number of midwives employed by this institution at any one time
varies, but at the end of the year the number was 11 in hospital
and 15 on the district. During the course of the year 54 different
midwives were in residence.
Queen Mary's Hospital. This hospital—further notes on
which appear on page 255—has 50 beds for maternity purposes, 10
of which are subsidised by the Borough Council. The number of
births of West Ham residents which took place in this hospital
during the vear was 320. The average number of midwives in
residence at any one time is 7.
Forest Gate Hospital. Maternity unit. The number of beds
in this unit varies according to the demand, but in general it may
be said that the average number of patients in residence is about
70. The number of births which took place in the hospital during
the year was 919. This number has been increasing progressively
during the last few years, and the time has now arrived for a complete
re-organisation of the unit. A report dealing with this matter
was recently presented to the appropriate committee.
In addition to the midwives employed by the above institutions,
midwives belonging to certain other organisations practise
in the borough. These are clearly detailed in Table II.
Analysis of cases attended by midwives. Table II. gives
an analysis of the cases attended by midwives during 1937.
Fifteen midwives from the Plaistow Maternity Hospital
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