View report page

9 Full-time Midwives.
1 Part-time Midwife.
ORGANISATION
The day-to-day supervision of the Midwifery Service is carried
out by a Non-medical Supervisor of Midwives, who is also appointed
as Superintendent of the Home Nursing Service, although the services
are operated separately.
For the most part, the arrangements under which three midwives
covered the Wimbledon area, three covered the Merton and Morden
area, and three covered the Mitcham area, were continued in operation.
The three midwives in the Wimbledon area are housed at the
Nurses' Home, Kings Road, Wimbledon, one in the Merton and
Morden area is housed at the Nurses' Home, 'The CroftCommonside
East, Mitcham, and the remaining five are in their own homes.
Eight midwives have cars, in respect of which the Authority pays
an essential user car allowance, and one midwife is supplied with a
bicycle.
MATERNITY CASES ATTENDED
There were 452 domiciliary confinements reported and 2,486 institutional
confinements during the year.
Midwives employed by the Authority attended 451 cases (four
where no doctor was booked and 447 where a doctor was booked).
MEDICAL AID
Medical aid was summoned by midwives in 134 domiciliary
cases including 126 cases where the medical practitioner had arranged
to provide the patient with maternity medical services under the
National Health Service Act. The Authority is liable for the payment
of the practitioners' fees in the other eight cases.
ANALGESIA
All the Authority's midwives are qualified to administer analgesia
(trilene, gas and air, and pethidine) in accordance with the rules
of the Central Midwives Board.
During the year municipal midwives administered analgesics to
mothers as follows:—
Gas and Air Trilene Pethidine
303 130 235
PUERPERAL PYREXIA
Fifteen cases of puerperal pyrexia were notified, 14 of which
were hospital cases.
OPHTHALMIA NEONATORUM
One case of ophthalmia neonatorum was notified during the year.
MATERNITY OUTFITS
A free issue of maternity outfits is made in accordance with
Ministry of Health instructions, namely, to those patients whose
confinement will be conducted under the National Health Service
arrangement. These are issued by midwives to their patients.
32