[Report 1972] / Medical Officer of Health, Manchester City.

  • Manchester (England). City Council. n 88637066.
Date:
1972
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1972] / Medical Officer of Health, Manchester City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    from her husband and living with another man. There were five children to her husband, aged from eight to 14 years, and two to the putative father, one 18 months old being educationally sub-normal and the premature baby. The mother was mentally slow, and unable to read or write. On the infant's discharge from hospital the mother and baby were visited by the premature baby sister three times a day for the first week, twice a day during the second week and then daily for a further four days. Appointments for the infant to attend the paediatric out-patients' clinic at the hospital were not kept by the mother, and the premature baby sister conveyed the mother and infant there by car on three occasions. The mother continually mismanaged the infant's feeding. Finally the infant was readmitted to hospital. During this period the 18 month old child was found to have a high temperature and the mother had refused to call in the general practitioner. This was done by the premature baby sister, and the child was admitted to hospital with a chest infection. Further visits were made by the premature baby staff when the baby was once again discharged and supervision was continued by the nursing staff until the baby was 7 lbs. in weight .At this stage it was transferred to the care of the health visitor. There was good liaison between hospital and domiciliary staff. A premature baby sister visited all maternity hospitals most weeks to be present when the consultant paediatrician held his out-patient clinic and/or accompanied him on his round of the special baby care unit. During the year 85 student nurses accompanied the premature baby sisters on their visits to gain an insight on community care for premature babies. A summary of visits is given as follows:— 1971 1972 To mothers and babies under 21 days .. — 4,774 To mothers and babies over 21 days — 3,022 To paediatric clinics. 150 182 To hospitals other than clinics 105 165 To maternal and child health clinics 135 192 To general practitioners' surgeries 79 164 Flome assessments. — 525 General practitioners' unit. 13 50 An analysis, by birth weight, of the premature infants referred for care, together with the numbers transferred to hospital whilst in the care of the premature baby sisters, is given below:— Weight at birth Number Transferred to hospital Under 3 lbs. 4 ozs. . 8 1 3 lbs. 4 ozs.—4 lbs. 6 ozs. 108 3 4 lbs. 7 ozs.—4 lbs. 15 ozs. 125 6 5 lbs. 0 ozs.—5 lbs. 8 ozs. 296 10 5 lbs. and over .. 348 9 Totals 885 29
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