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NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE ACT, 1946
SECTION 22: CARE OP MOTHERS AND YOUNG CHILDREN.
EXPECTANT AND NURSING MOTHERS
Facilities provided for Ante-Natal and Post-Natal care were continued with ten weeklycombined
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. Mothers attend by appointment and in each case the medical examinations
are undertaken by one of the Council's medical officers.
The municipal midwives have continued to examine their patients at Maternity and
Child Welfare Centres at the same session as the ante-natal clinics conducted by the medical
officers. Those patients who have booked a doctor for their confinement are seen by the
doctor and midwife together on at least two occasions, whenever possible. These Joint
examinations are arranged by the midwife and are held sometimes at the municipal clinic, and
sometimes at the doctor's surgery. The doctor giving maternity medical service is also
encouraged to refer his patients to the municipal clinic for blood tests, chest x-ray,
training in relaxation, and for the teaching of mothercraft. Good use is made of these
facilities, and there is much informal interchange of information between all the medical
and nursing services concerned with the expectant mother who is going to have her baby at
home.
Arrangements for women who book domiciliary midwives from the Essex County Council
Service, based on the Lady Rayleigh Training Home in Leyton, include attendance at the
municipal clinics for some of their medical examinations.
Patients requiring specialist advice are usually referred to the consultant at one
of the maternity units in the borough, while those wishing or requiring a hospital bed are
referred to the hospital of their choice. A number of these patients who are booked for
hospital confinement are referred back to the local authority clinics for some of their
intermediate examinations.
One thousand two hundred and sixty expectant mothers have made a total of 5,971
attendances at the ante-natal clinics during the year. One hundred and ninety-three
attended for examination during the post-natal period and made a total of 204 attendances.
This is 67% of the total of 290 domiciliary. confinements, but does not include post-natal
examinations undertaken by general practitioners.
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. Any tendency
to anaemia is kept under careful observation, (which includes further blood examinations).
Mothers are encouraged to take iron regularly during pregnancy, particularly during the last
three months.
Chest X-rays. Provision for chest x-ray for all expectant mothers has continued
throughout the year. Every expectant mother attending the ante-natal clinic, if she has
not already had a chest x-ray during her present pregnancy, is offered an appointment at
a special session of the Mass Radiography Unit which is held at one of the Welfare Centres.
Unfortunately, these sessions can still only be held infrequently, which probably accounts
for the rather low attendances. Mothers booked for confinement at Plasitow Maternity
Hospital and those attending the Essex County Council Leyton Health Area Clinics are also
invited to these x-ray sessions.
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