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NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE ACT, 1946
SECTION 22s CARE OP MOTHERS AND YOUNG CHILDREN
EXPECTANT AND NURSING MOTHERS.
Facilities provided for Ante-Natal and Post-Natal Care were continued with ten
weekly combined ante-natal and post-natal sessions at the Municipal Centres and one at
the South West Ham Health Society's Clinic. The clinic held in the Silvertown area is
now combined with the Child Welfare session. Patients attend by appointment and in each
ease the medical examinations are undertaken by the Council's Medical Officers.
In February, the transfer to the Council of the Domiciliary Midwifery Service
previously given by Plaistow Maternity Hospital, afforded the opportunity for some
reorganisation of the work at the municipal ante-natal clinics. The three small houses
in Eldon Road previously owned by the hospital were acquired by the Council and the
ante-natal clinic continued on a weekly basis (the accommodation In Eldon Road is now
used partly for clinic purposes and partly as accommodation for midwlves.) Arrangements
were made for all the municipal midwlves to conduct the examination of their patients at
the Maternity and Child Welfare Centres at the same session as the ante-natal clinics
conducted by the Medical Officers. This has fostered close and friendly co-operation
between the midwlves (and their pupils) and the doctors, as well as with the Health
Visitors who also have duties at the ante-natal clinics. These arrangements are greatly
to the advantage of the mother who can in this way visit the doctor and the midwife
together on a number of planned occasions. Should the midwife wish the doctor to examine
the patient on any other occasion, this can easily be done without inconvenience.
Patients requiring specialist's advice are usually referred to a consultant at one
of the three Maternity Units in the Borough.
Arrangements are made for those women who book a domiciliary midwife from the Essex
County Council or Silvertown and North Woolwich District Nursing Association to attend the
Municipal Clinics for their medical examinations.
One thousand four hundred and sixty four expectant mothers have made a total of
7,263 attendances. Three hundred and six mothers attended for examination during the
post-natal period and made a total of 322 attendances; this is 79% of the total of 389
domiciliary confinements, and does not include post-natal examinations undertaken by the
family doctors.
Blood tests are carried out on all patients attending these clinics and include a
Kahn, Rhesus factor, Blood group and Haemoglobin estimation in every case. Anaemia in the
expectant mother may have serious implications for both mother and baby. For this reason
mothers are encouraged to take iron regularly during pregnancy, particularly in the last
three months. Any mother who shows a tendency to anaemia is kept under careful observation,
which includes further blood examinations.
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