London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Fulham 1928
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Fulham]
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29.
Home Visitation of Mothers and Children. The
home visits made by the Health Visitors keep the
Medical Officer informed of the home conditions which
have a very great influence on the welfare of their
patients. Each of the Health Visitors is responsible for
her own district and in the course of time acquires an
intimate knowledge of the homes. Besides being specially
qualified as Health Visitors they are all fully trained
hospital nurses and certified midwives so that their
advice is of great value to the parents.
During the year 1928, the visits paid by the Health Visitors were as follows:—
| First visits to infants | 2,358 |
| Re-visits to infants | 9,363 |
| Re-visits to children aged 1 to 5 years | 9,868 |
| Visits to cases of ophthalmia neonatorum | 73 |
| Ditto measles | 1,876 |
| Ditto diarrhoea | 68 |
| Ditto pneumonia | 61 |
| Ditto puerperal fever | 13 |
| Ditto puerperal pyrexia | 37 |
| Other visits | 575 |
The Fulham Borough Council Maternity Home,
706, Fulham Road, S.W.6.
This home contains accommodation for ten patients
and women are admitted whose home conditions are
unsuitable for the purpose of their confinements. It is
designed for normal cases only and is not a hospital.
The work is closely linked up with that of the antenatal
centres as Dr. Ruby Thomson, who is in medical
charge of the home, and Miss Bustard, the matron, also
attend the clinics.
The minimum fee is £3 for the fortnight, during
which patients are treated in the home. The highest
fee charged during 1928 was £9:10:0 for the fortnight,
and the average fee was £4: 10:10. The net cost per
patient to the Council for the financial year 1928-29 was
£2:5:4, equivalent to £1:2:8 per week.