View report page

— 6 —
EVACUATION OF EXPECTANT MOTHERS.
The Borough of Tottenham is part of the ExtraMetropolitan
Evacuable Area and provisions are made, under the
Government Evacuation Scheme, for the evacuation of expectant
mothers. During the year, 99 expectant mothers were
evacuated. The mothers assenble at the Town Hall every Friday
and are conveyed in coaches, accompanied by a certified
midwife to reception areas; On arrival most of the mothers go
into billets until the commencement of labour, when they are
taken to Government Emergency Maternity or Nursing Homes.
The average period of absence from home is six weeks.
During 1940, one of our greatest problems was the care
of children under 5 years whose mothers were expectant and
required evacuation. To meet this difficulty, a number of
places were reserved at the residential day nursery at Bengeo
House; Hertford for such children. This arrangement has proved
very satisfactory and, furthermore, the stay in the country has
invariably had a beneficial effect on the children themselves.
DENTAL_TREATMENT_FOR MOTHERS AND CHILDREN.
Throughout the year, steady progress was made in the
Dental Treatment of expectant and nursing mothers and children
under five years in spite of the difficulties occasioned by
evacuation and the incidence of daylight air raids.
The number of nursing and expectant mothers who received
treatment during the year was 458 of- which 355 were ante-natal
cases and 103 were nursing mothers. In addition, 160 of these
were provided with dentures, 99 of which were free of cost and
6l at part-cost.
400 consultations and 486 treatments were given to
children under five years of age.
ASSISTED MILK_SUPPLY.
On July 1st, 1940, a National Scheme for the supply of
milk, either free or cheaply, to all expectant and nursing
mothers and children under five years of age came into operation
under the Ministry of Food. Under the Scheme, one pint of
liquid milk (or in special circumstances for children under 1
year of age, an equivalent amount of dried milk) is supplied
daily to each member of these classes on whose behalf a proper
application is made. The price normally paid is twopence
per pint irrespective of income scale, although there are provisions
for a free supply in certain cases of economic
necessity.
This scheme entirely superseded the arrangement made by
the Milk Marketing Board and approved by the Minister of
Agriculture and Fisheries on 26th July, 1939 set out in
Circular 1840 of August, 1939. The powers of the Welfare
Authorities were, however, in no way affected by the new scheme,
and where necessary, independent arrangements were made to
supplement the provision of milk under the scheme, where such
a course appeared desirable on medical grounds.