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In addition to duties in the clinic, ante-natal and other visits, the midwives
undertook work in connection with the National Birthday Trust's investigations
into the causes of perinatal mortality. The survey lasted over a period of three
months, March, April and May. During the first week in March a detailed and
comprehensive questionnaire was completed for every delivery and for the rest of
the period, in the case of every death or stillbirth. It is significant of the midwives
good relationship with their patients that no woman refused to complete
the form although much of the required information was of a personal and intimate
nature. This is an important investigation as the neo-natal death rate is causing
concern throughout the country.
The large number of removals into the Area, particularly in Stroud Green,
has caused an increase in the number of late bookings and in the calls to the midwife
of patients in labour who have made no arrangements at all. These latter
cases are causing much concern amongst the midwives as they have no prior
information about the patient s obstetric history and there is often difficulty in
getting a doctor to attend such cases. A great deal of time is spent on these
patients who usually contact every possible source of help when labour is well
advanced and such a case recently involved the following services - police who
visited the patient s house and the midwife s house, ambulance service who sent
an ambulance to "stand by", an L.C.C. midwife who lived nearby, a midwife from
Tottenham who was sent to the house. Two hospitals were also contacted. In
addition telephone calls were received at a clinic, at three midwives' houses, at
the Area Health Office and at the Supervisor of Midwives' house. The cost in
time and petrol on such a case is considerable in addition to disrupting the normal
work of the services involved.
Transport With the present extreme shortage of midwives, it is vital that
every midwife who is able to drive should have the use of a car, primarily because
she is able to do more work in less time and also while working at such pressure
to conserve her energy.