[Report 1957] / Medical Officer of Health, Glamorgan County Council.

  • Glamorgan (Wales). County Council. nb2014013905.
Date:
1957
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1957] / Medical Officer of Health, Glamorgan County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    11/94 (page 11)
    Expectant and Nursing Mothers. On the 31st December, 1957, clinic facilities for expectant mothers were available at eighty-nine centres, forty-two of these being County Council-owned premises. The number of ante-natal clinic sessions held monthly showed an increase from 287 to 296. Ante-natal clinic attendances, including attendances at midwives’ sessions of 51,420 showed an increase of 1,674 compared with last year’s figures. Restriction of admission to certain maternity hospitals may have had some influence on this unexpected increase. These figures show that the service provided for expectant and nursing mothers is still much appreciated. Although the number of women who attended ante-natal clinics during the year showed a reduction of eighty-six, the number of new cases, i.e., women who had not attended any clinic during current pregnancy, increased by sixty-nine. The number of new cases show a slight decrease in the Aberdare and ^fountain Ash, Caerphilly and Gelligaer, Mid-Glamorgan and Neath and District Health Divisions. In re^’ie^\Tng the work of the Mid-Glamorgan Division, Dr. Kathleen Davies, the Divisional Medical Officer states :■— “The one item which is most noticeable is the continued decrease in the number of ante-natal mothers attending the clinics, and this, in spite of an increase in the number of births last year. In 1949, 1,562 mothers attended chnic for the first time and this expressed as a percentage of the total births is 83 per cent, while in 1957 the percentage of mothers attending was as low as 59 per cent. More and more mothers are having ante-natal care by their general practitioners ; several practitioners in this Division hold their own ante-natal clinics regularly and in three instances the local midwife attends. In my opinion there is likely to be an expansion of the general practitioner ante-natal clinic and this will result in even fewer mothers attending the local Health Authority clinics for medical examination, but the clinics can be used, and are in fact being used, to great advantage as the place where the mother can receive health education. Ante-natal classes, at which the health visitor gives a series of talks for expectant mothers, have been held in six clinics during the year and these have been attended by mothers from the clinics as well as by mothers who are being looked after by their own doctors.’’ The Assistant Medical Officers in the Mid-Glamorgan Division were asked for their comments on the ante-natal servflces. Certain extracts from their reports are quoted as being of general interest :•—■ Dr. Philippa Dyson: “I feel that the main disadvantage of the present service we offer to ante-natal patients is the lack of continuity of medical care which results at times. I have in mind particularly those toxaemic patients who are at the borderline level for admission to hospital, with blood pressures when seen at the chnic of between 140/90 and 160/100. My usual practice in such cases is to send them home to rest in bed at the same time notifying the general practitioner. On two occasions in the last year I have seen patients who have subsequently had still-births associated with toxaemia, carrying heavy loads of shopping do\vn the town after having been advised to rest in bed. I feel that this is largely due to the fact that after a few days in bed, oedema may have disappeared, the patient feels well, the chnic doctor is not available till the following week and the patient feels herself justified in disregarding instructions. In cases being confined at home, the situation is improved as the midwife represents continuity’ and r\’ih cah once or twice to see that all is well. This is not due to lack of co-operation on the part of family doctors who are always willing to call when the need does not appear urgent. I feel one should atm at closer co-operation between the two parts of the service,