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28
MATERNITY AND CHILD WELFARE.
An outline of the Council's completed services has already been
given in my opening remarks.
The scheme as a whole has worked well, but we are still hampered
with the inappropriate centres and our work limited thereby. There is
no doubt that more sessions are required at several of the centres, but
this increase will only be possible when the contemplated new centres
are built. More ante-natal centres are needed, but the present rooms
at which the child welfare work is carried out in the various districts of
the Borough are totally unsuited for this important branch of the work.
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During the year much discussion has been devoted to the proposed
new Midwives Bill. The majority of the Metropolitan Boroughs are of
the opinion, and quite rightly so, that they as the authorities for maternity
and child welfare should be the authorities for the administration of the
Midwives Act when it becomes operative.
The working of the Act in Southwark would be a more or less simple
matter, as we are fortunate in being well supplied with voluntary hospitals
and bodies who already deal with the majority of the maternity work.
From figures in this portion of the report it will be seen that out of a
total of 2,407 confinements—306 were dealt with by private independent
midwives and 111 by private doctors. According to the Midwives Bill
a midwife should not attend more than 80 confinements per annum and
therefore four whole-time midwives at the most would be ample provision
to deal with the 300 odd confinements not dealt with by voluntary
associations. Alternatively by an arrangement with the voluntary
association interested this small deficiency might be made good.
The London County Council on the other hand as Local Supervisor
of midwives, has put forward strong claims to be the authority for the
administration of the new Act, and at the present time the issue is
somewhat doubtful.
INFANT MORTALITY.
The infant death rate of 66 is an improvement on the previous year,
but, as already stated, one expects a lower rate in a non-measles year.
Apart from this determining factor, however, the mortality of infants
has slowly but surely decreased. This decrease is due to several causes,
chief of which is the greater activity and improvements in the schemes
of the maternity and child welfare authorities.