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14
Mention is also made that no Health Visitor should be expected to
undertake the visiting of more than 400 births per year unless the
district is a very compact one. Previously the proportion was one
health visitor to every 500 births.
From this brief summary of the Act, it will be seen that there is
a wide field open to the Committee. The work carried out by the
Committee during the past year may be shortly described.
In 1918 there were four clinics situate as follows
One in the North Ward (Gosterwood Street), meeting on Monday.
One in the East Ward (Napier Street), meeting on Tuesday.
One in theNorth-westWard(Ilderton Road), meeting on Wednesday.
One in the South Ward (Laurie Hall), meeting on Thursday.
These were conducted entirely by the Council's offices, the staff
consisting of a part-time lady Medical Officer and six Health Visitors,
all acting under the supervision of the Medical Officer of Health.
In addition to the above clinics, a small Infant Consultation Centre
was opened in July by the Ragged School Union, whose premises are
situated in Hales Street, one of the worst areas of the East Ward, and
a locality where great difficulty has always been experienced by the
Health Visitors in inducing mothers to take their infants to the
municipal clinic a short distance away. It was hoped that with a
centre at their "very doors" some of the least lethargic might be
tempted to attend. Results have been gratifying and there is every
evidence that the initial success will be continued. The Institution
authorities are acting in full co-operation with the Medical Officer of
Health, under whose supervision the work is carried on. By permission
of the Council, one of the Health Visitors conducts the clinic,
assisted by several voluntary workers. It is hoped by the authorities
to shortly appoint a medical officer. (This was carried out in January,
when Dr. Carpenter, a local practitioner, was appointed).
The other Voluntary Centre (which is, however, only partly within
the Borough), is the Albany Institute, has been long established and
continues to do excellent work. The Babies Home, belonging to the
Institute, is entirely within the Borough and contains 10 cots, of which
four belong to the Council.
Statistics relating to the above are appended, but it might be
mentioned here that the attendance at Laurie Hall Clinic has grown
to such an extent that the Public Health Committee have decided, with
the New Year, to abolish it and instead to establish two clinics, one in