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NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE ACT, 19^6.
SECTION 22g CARE OF MOTHERS AND YOUNG CHILDREN,
ANTE-NATAL AND POST-NATAL CLINICS« Nine ante-natal sessions were held each week at
the municipal centres during the years there were no separate sessions for post-natal
clinics but mothers for post-natal examination were given appointments at one or other of
the ante~natal sessions. In addition, ante-natal clinics were held at the Avenons Road
Voluntary Centre.
At these various clinics 2,268 expectant mothers were registered and between them
made a total of 12,302 attendances- Three hundred and fifty three mothers attended during
the post-natal period making a total of 381 attendances. Although this figure is still rather
small it is pleasing to note that this is an increase of 137 over the previous year.
At the end of January staffing difficulties in the hospital service compelled
abandonment of the arrangement whereby municipal ante-natal clinics were staffed by medical
officers from Forest Gate Hospital. A temporary appointment was made to cover the gap and
this arrangement operated with gratifying success during the remainder of the year.
INFANT WELFARE CENTRES. The needs of the service were met by 13 infant welfare
sessions each week. In October separate Toddlers1 Clinics were started in addition, to
which children were invited at, or about, their second, third and fourth birthdays. One of
these sessions was held each week at each of the five municipal clinics, but that at
Silvertown was merged with the infant welfare clinic on account of the small numbers. In
addition, one Toddlers* session per month was held at the South West Ham Health Society.Clinic
at Avenons Road. These clinics enable a searching review of the young child1s health to take
place once a year, along rather similar lines to that which is given to school children at
rather longer intervals. At this age many minor troubles are found which if not corrected
will obtain a stronger hold and present a more difficult problem of treatment when the child
starts school. The opportunity to discuss the child's health and progress in an unhurried
interview with the mother, and to take measures to rectify any departure from normal before
they have had time to develop, is invaluable; and this measure of regular supervision at a
time of life when the child rather tends to be lost sight of constitutes a preventive
service of the first importance.

These figures show a slight decline as compared with the previous year in the number
of attendances of children under one, but no more than would be expected from the decline
in the number of births. The attendances of children between one and five have shown a
distinct increaseo This is a gratifying step towards improving the supervision of the
children at this age, which is so often allowed to become something of an interlude between
the more favoured periods of infancy and school life*
ULTRA VIOLET LIGHT. The arrangements for children to receive treatment at the
Children's Hospital, Balaam Street, Plaistow, were continued as in previous years. Sixtytwo
children were referred from the municipal Child Welfare Clinics.
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