View report page

Two district nurse/midwives relieve the full-time midwives during
holidays, refresher courses, sickness, etc. All midwives are motorists
using either their own car or one supplied by the Authority.
Maternity Cases Attended
There were 135 domiciliary confinements reported and 2,361
hospital confinements during the year. This shows a reduction of 34
on the figure for 1970. Midwives employed by this Authority attended
all home confinements, a doctor having been booked in all but one of
the 135 cases.
Inhalational Analgesia
All the Authority's midwives are qualified in administering inhalational
analgesia (trilene and gas and oxygen) in accordance with
the rules of the Central Midwives' Board. During the year district
midwives administered inhalational analgesia to mothers as follows:—
Gas and oxygen—113 Trilene—11
Ophthalmia Neonatorum
One case was notified during the year.
Maternity Outfits
A free issue of maternity outfits is made in accordance with the
instructions of the Department of Health and Social Security, namely
to those patients whose confinement will be conducted under the
National Health Service arrangements. These are issued by midwives
to their patients.
Medical Aid
Medical aid was summoned by midwives to 129 domiciliary cases
where a doctor was already booked for the confinement.
The Emergency Obstetric Unit
The aid of this unit was summoned on four occasions and the
patients were subsequently admitted to the hospital:—
1 breech presentation.
1 delay in second stage.
1 baby white asphyxia.
1 undiagnosed twins.
Early Discharges from Maternity Hospitals
The numbers of discharges from hospital before the tenth day of
puerperium were as follows:—
48 hours after confinement 487
Other discharges before the tenth day 144
41