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SECTION 23: DOMICILIARY MIDWIFERY.
General Arrangements.
There have been two changes in the general arrangements.
1. In accordance with the agreement reached in 1954 between the County Borough of
West Ham and Group 9 Hospital Management Committee, the agency arrangements with
Plaistow Maternity Hospital came to an end on February 14th, 1955. Four midwives who
had been engaged in domiciliary work for the hospital joined the staff of the local
health authority bringing the number of municipal midwives up to eight. The transfer
was completed in two weeks and 163 mothers came over to the care of the Borough
domiciliary midwifery service.
The department wishes to place on record its deep gratitude to the staff of
Plaistow Maternity Hospital for the devoted service which they have given over many
years to the mothers in West Ham whom they nursed in their own homes and also for their
very great co-operation at the time of transfer. As a result of this the arrangements,
which had been carefully planned, worked very smoothly; nothing untoward came to
light and it is hoped that no mothers were inconvenienced. We were happy to welcome
the four hospital midwives into the local health authority team and wish to thank them
for their loyal co-operation with their new colleagues. Before the end of the year
one of these four midwives had left the Council's service in order to take up a vacant
post on the hospital staff, and on December 31st there were seven domiciliary midwives
in the Council's service.
2. The second change occurred when Miss Booth retired from the post of senior nurse
midwife to the Silvertown and North Woolwich District Nursing Association on October 31st.
West Ham then took over responsibility for the domiciliary midwifery service for that
part of the Borough which lies south of the Victoria and Albert Docks, and the association,
which had sponsored splendid work for many years closed down. Following consultation
between the organisations and authorities concerned, West Ham Council also agreed to
undertake the domiciliary midwifery service for that part of the area which is the
responsibility of the London County Council, because geographical and transport factors
make it very difficult indeed for the London County Council to give an efficient service
to the mothers in this area. Distance and difficulty of access presents some problems
also to the West Ham domiciliary midwives but the number of cases involved is small.
The midwife who serves this area sees her patients at the L.C.C. clinic premises which
are situated at Fernhill Street Baths, North Woolwich, E.16, where she has excellent and
friendly co-operation from the London County Council Staff.
Everyone was sorry to lose Miss Booth; her capable and colourful personality will
long be remembered in the district.
The West Ham Borough Council now provides the only domiciliary midwifery service to the
whole of the Borough with the exception of that part which lies north of the district railway.
In this area some of the mothers book midwives from the Lady Rayleigh Training Home which
is about half-a-mile outside the Borough and is administered by the Essex County Council.
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