[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Brent].

  • Brent (London, England). Council.
Date:
[1966]
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: [Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Brent]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    12/80 (page 10)
    10 Kilburn Day Nursery was approved as a training school for N.N.E.B. students, making nine training nurseries in the Borough. Thirty-five students completed their two year period of training, and twenty-nine obtained the N.N.E.B. certificate. Recruitment for training was easier, but filling vacancies for trained nursery nurses and warders is still difficult. CARE OF THE UNSUPPORTED MOTHER AND HER CHILD (Table 10) With the breakup of the former Middlesex County Council, the service for the unsupported mother and her child was no longer centralised, and became the responsibility of each London Borough. To meet the needs of these women and children, the Council provides residential accommodation in the Belle Vue Mother and Baby Home, and the services of a Medical Social Worker. Unmarried mothers were referred to the Council's Medical Social Worker both by the Council's own staff and by moral welfare workers of all denominations. Admission to a mother and baby home was arranged at the appropriate time, until suitable arrangements could be made for them. The importance of after-care work—of ensuring that proper and permanent arrangements are made for both mother and baby—is fully realised. This needs not only experience and farsightedness on the part of the Medical Social Worker, and the staff of the mother and baby home, but a knowledge of human nature and a certain detachment from sentimentality. Close liaison with the Welfare Section was maintained in connection with the admission to homes of the homeless evicted women, either pregnant or with a young infant. In addition to the Council's own home, use was also made of the homes run by other London Boroughs who, indeed, made use of the vacancies that were available in Belle Vue Mother and Baby Home. The staffing of the Council's home presents some problems, since it is necessary to appoint reliable people even as attendants, who will be able to supervise the girls in their household tasks, and cover general supervision for short periods. During 1965 the social side of caring for the mothers and babies was carried out by one full-time Medical Social Worker, whose services are shared with the London Borough of Harrow, at an appropriate financial adjustment. FAMILY PLANNING The Council runs a family planning clinic every Monday morning at London Road Clinic. In addition, the Family Planning Association is granted the use of Pound Lane and Stag Lane Clinics one evening per week, free of charge, for holding sessions. The Council also agreed to continue the contractural arrange ment previously made with the Middlesex County Council for per capita payments in respect of cases referred under Sections 22 and 28 of the National Health Service Act. INCIDENCE OF CONGENITAL MALFORMATION In accordance with the requirements of the Chief Medical Officer of the Ministry of Health, informa tion is supplied to the General Register Office concerning congenital defects apparent at birth. A summary of notifications received and an analysis of malformations notified are shown in Tables 11 and 12. MIDWIFERY SERVICE (Table 13) The full establishment of midwives has been maintained during the year. Midwives continue to hold their own ante-natal sessions, but close liaison with general practitioners and hospitals is observed. The number of discharges from hospital within 48 hours of confinement is increasing; so far the scheme covers the Paddington and Kingsbury Hospitals only. Three part-time midwives are employed for these cases, two in the Wembley area and one in Willesden. Two of the Premix Gas Dispensers Entonox Apparatus (50% oxygen and 50% nitrous oxide) have been purchased for the use of midwives. HEALTH VISITING Health education is the health visitor's primary function. This is carried out in the clinics and during her many home visits in her capacity as adviser on the principles of health to the family as a whole. Specific health tajiks have been undertaken in schools and clinics. In addition to this, health visitors are frequently asked to give talks to various groups in the community. Sponsored students. At present four students are in training at Chiswick Polytechnic. The practical training of these students is undertaken by a new grade of staff viz. Field Work Instructors. Three health visitors undertook special training and were appointed to this grade last July. In-service training. Health visitors continue to attend lectures given by the Paediatrician at Kingsbury Maternity Hospital. Several health visitors attended two study days organised by Edgware General Hospital.