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39
Child Minders and often evening committments in the field of
Health Education. It is important for them to have an intimate
knowledge of an area and all the services available in it so
advice they give on these matters is responsible. It is of
course important for the Health Visitors to discuss their
cases and problems with the family doctor and to give him
help in his work. This probably is best achieved through a
liaison rather than a full attachment. The Health Visitor
attends at the doctors surgery to assist with Health Education,
advises at his well baby clinic and reports back to him on her
case load in his practice area.
Not only from Redbridge but from throughout the country
and in places where attachments and liaison schemes have been
established for long enough to evaluate them, good reports are
coming in from doctors and nurses alike.
At the end of the year 5 Health Visitors and 4 Domiciliary
Midwives were so "attached" to or liaising with general practitioners
and it is hoped that 2 District Nurses would commence
early in 1967 in a scheme of full attachment.
SECTION 23
MIDWIFERY
Domiciliary
Confinement
Rate
There were 3,928 live and stillbirths to Redbridge mothers
in 1966 and of these 868 were born at home, making a hospital
confinement rate of 77.9% and a domiciliary confinement rate
of 22.1%. There were 4 domiciliary stillbirths, and no maternal
deaths were recorded among either hospital or domiciliary
confinements.
Miss M.A. Potter, Superintendent of Midwives and District
Nurses reports as follows on the Domiciliary Midwifery Service: —
With efficient ante-natal care by the general practitioners
and domiciliary midwives, the selection of the at risk mother
and baby for hospital confinement contributes toward the increase
in the hospital rate.
At the same time the 48 hour discharges of maternity
patient to the domiciliary midwife, although increasing in
numbers still remain in the minority.
Included in the 48 hour discharges, are those patients who
would have wished a home confinement but were delivered in