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been extended, and the working arrangements improved. In
this connection it is interesting to note that the Mothers' Hospital
are extending their Maternity service by the provision of Child
Welfare and Ante-natal Clinics, and that the question of the administration
of these Clinics in co-ordination with the Borough
Council work has been discussed by the Maternity and Child
Welfare Committee, at the request of the Ministry of Health.
During the past five years arrangements have been made by
the Maternity and Child Welfare Committee for the confinement
in Hospital, of 1,147 cases. These cases were necessitous from
the point of view that it would have been impossible for them to
pay the ordinary fees, while on the other hand they did not come
within the scope of the poor law service, and bearing in mind
that institutional treatment was desirable, either from the nature
of the confinements or the unsuitable home conditions, it is
obvious that considerable suffering and ill-health, at the very least,
has been prevented in this direction.
Midwifery Assistance.
Applications from necessitous persons, who do not come
within the scope of the Poor Law for assistance, for the provision
of a midwife, has been arranged by the Maternity and Child
Welfare Committee. Cases are visited by the Health Visitor,
enquiries are made into the truth of the financial statement submitted
by the patient, and the Maternity and Child Welfare
Committee arrange for the payment to the midwife, either of the
full fee of £1 1s., or for a proportion of the sum, according to the
means of the patient.
Considerable mental and physical suffering has been alleviated
by this action of the Committee, as during the past five years 297
cases have been dealt with in this way.
The Committee have had under consideration on several
occasions the question of the co-operation of midwives with the
Child Welfare and Ante-natal Clinics, but it has not yet been
possible to bring about a closer relationship between the work of
the Centres and the midwives in the homes.