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MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
Public Health Act, 1936- Section 203.
The number of births which were notified, as adjusted by transferred
notifications, were as follows:—
Live births 1,091 Notified by midwives 932
Still births 25 Notified by doctors and
parents 21
Transferred notifications 163
The total is 251 more than in 1945 and represents 102% of the
births registered during the year. This increase of 30% brings the
number of births in the year for the first time in the history of the
district to more than 1,000.
Health Visiting.
One of the five health visitor appointments was vacant for several
months of the year. As a result, and since the new births were substantially
higher, home visiting had to be on a somewhat lower scale.
Compared with pre-war, the number of births, the number of expectant
mothers and the number of children attending the clinics have increased
by about 25%, added to which there has been a gradual expansion in
the clinic programme and this has encroached upon the time at the
disposal of the health visitors for home visiting. The result has been
a reduction in the average number of visits per year per child under
one year from 4.8 in 1939 to 2.4 in 1946, and a fall in the average visits
to children of all ages under five from 2.1 to 1.5. It is unlikely, however,
that the present high birth rate will be maintained. Nevertheless,
the scale of home visiting at present is inadequate. More economical
use of health visiting services will be undoubtedly secured when visiting
for maternity and child welfare, school health and other health service
purposes is merged in one personnel.
The visits made excluding those in connection with child life
protection referred to later in this report were as follows:—
To expectant mothers:—
First visits 199
Total visits 228
To children under 1 year:—
First visits 955
Total visits 2,658
To children 1-5 years:—
Total visits 3,523
6,409
25
1,116
1,116