[Report 1939] / Medical Officer of Health, Stourport-on-Severn U.D.C.

  • Stourport-on-Severn (England). Urban District Council.
Date:
1939
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1939] / Medical Officer of Health, Stourport-on-Severn U.D.C. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    a house rent free, though not the rates, the rest has to be raised by fees and, chiefly, voluntary contributions. The Stourport and Wilden District Association and the Astley and Areley Kings Nursing Association employ three Nurses, all of whom are midwives in Stourport, and one, part-time, nurse midwife in Areley Kings. Their duties under the County Council, include attending women and babies before, during, and after confinement; attending school medical inspections, regular visits to cases of tuberculosis, mental defects and ailing children in their homes. Within the last year, with the co-operation of the Education Authority, a nurse attends daily at the school and cases of minor ailments not bad enough to need a doctor's services. Last year they paid over 2,000 visits to infants, giving advice when necessary and the sending more serious cases to a doctor. Most of the visiting is done walking or cycling, and in all weathers. Often patients need more than one visit a day, and many of the nurses’ nights are disturbed by calls. For this strenuous life they don’t receive enough pay to ensure comfort in retirement, though they do receive an inadequate pension, to which they have to contribute while in work. I don’t believe the public realise the amount of work they do, nor how meagre their emolument. The work of the Associations is managed by two secretaries and com¬ mittees of ladies, whose services are entirely voluntary; the secretaries have to devote a great deal of time to their duties. Other ladies undertake the thankless—and some¬ times unpleasant—job of collecting subscriptions. Both Associations ended the year with a deficit; it is to be hoped that further and generous help will be forthcoming from the Public Health Authorities. Public Mortuary.—For years the present building has been acknowledged to be ill-adapted for the purpose. Early in the year the Council requested me to suggest any possible improvements, but the situation, means of access, lighting, and limited space, convinced me that no real improvements were practicable. I visited many mortuaries in the county, and, eventually, with the Sanitary Inspector and the Chairman of the Health Committee, one at the Mary Stevens Maternity Hospital. We decided that, with some modifications a similar building would be suitable for this district. There, at present, the matter stands. For the accommodation of A.R.P. casualties the Council decided to adapt part of the Moor Hall stables, lately purchased by the Council, which can hardly be considered ideal for the purpose.