[Report 1948] / Medical Officer of Health, Durham County Palatine / County Council.

  • Durham (England : County). Council.
Date:
1948
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1948] / Medical Officer of Health, Durham County Palatine / County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    30/142 (page 28)
    Integration with other services.—The development of an arrangement in which medical officers are allocated either to ante-natal and obstetric work or to child welfare and paediatric work can only be gradual and under conditions in the county, for some considerable time, partial. In rural districts, centres may be open only fortnightly or monthly and division of function necessitating the attendance of two officers would be extravagant. In urban areas, arrangements will be made for one assistant welfare medical officer to do infant welfare work and another to undertake ante-natal work. When and to the extent to which, it is found practicable for these officers to devote part of their time to liospital work by arrangement with the Regional Hospital Board, it will be necessary increase their number. On the assumption that ulti- mately each may spend 15% of her time in hospital work 4 additional assi.stant welfare medical officers making 26 in all will be required. The Local Health Authority will consider in consultation with the Ivxecutive Council, as the need becomes apparent and as the provision of Health Centres advances, the j^ossibility of employing general practi- tioner obstetricians to staff clinics at which they would give ante-natal and post-natal supervision to women at whose confinements they might be required to assist. Nurseries.— T he Local Health Authority will provide such additional nursery accom- modation as may be required and circumstances permit. It is, however intended that residential nurseries, both long and short-stay, shall be provided in discharge of the duty placed on the County Council by the Children Act, 1948, and shall be administered in the manner provided in that Act and the Regulations made thereunder. General.—The services provided will be reviewed from time to time and will be adjusted or extended as necessary and as circumstances permit. It will be noted that from the appointed day the administration of this work in the municipal boroughs of Hartlepool, Jarrow, and Stockton was transferred to the County Council. Staff.—At the end of the year the staff consisted of the Senior Welfare Medical Officer, and 15 whole-time and 7 part-time assistant welfare medical officers. At Hartlepool the work was done by the Borough Medical Officer of Health and 5 medical practitioners on a sessional basis, at Jarrow by the County Council staff, and at Stockton- on-Tees by 5 medical practitioners on a sessional basis. Centres.—By the transfer of 9 welfare centres on the appointed day and the opening of 2 additional centres in the county during the year there were 89 welfare centres in existence at the end of the year. 38 of these centres were held in premises owned or wholly rented by the County Council, the remaining centres being held in Church halls, etc., on a rental basis.