[Report 1948] / Medical Officer of Health, Smethwick County Borough.

  • Smethwick (Worcestershire, England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1948
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1948] / Medical Officer of Health, Smethwick County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    31/48 (page 31)
    Four miclwives are qualified to adiuinister gas and air analgesia; two sets of apparatus are available, and were used in 38 cases during the year. Arrangements are being made for training the remaining five midwives* and for increasing the apparatus available. Pupil inidAvives taking Part 11 training at St. Chad’s Hospital are received on the distrk-t by five midwife-teachers on the staff of the Dejrartment for periods of three months domiciliary training. Sixteen such ])ui)ils were re<eived during the year. * All miclwives have now been trained in this work. DlON'rAL TRKA’TM FAT. Mr. liittlefield has furnished the following report on the treatment of expectant and nursing mothers and young children during the year. “ 1 have pleasure in submitting the Annual Report for the year ended 31st December. 1948, on the dental service provided by the Authoi'itv under Section 22 of the National Health Service Act. ITp to oth duly only the necessary extractions and conservative work was undertaken for expectant and nursing mothers, dentures being supplied by private practitioners. Patients were referred by medical officers \yhere dental treatment was considered necessary. It was found that only a few of those referred actually attended for dental examination, so that in Xovember, a scheme was introduced whereby every patient presenting herself for the first time at the Clinic was seen by a Dental Officer as part of her routine examination. The result was that 82 ])atients were examined in November and 45 in December as against an average of 15 for the first ten months of the yeai-. Treatinmit resulting from these inspections increased the number of sessions devoted to this work from an average of 7 for the first ten months of the year to 14 in Noveanber and 13 in December. Necessary dentures are now supplied 113- the Authorit3’, their construction being undertak('n by a dental technician to the jjrofession. “ Pre-school children attending the Welfare Clinics are referred for dental examination and/or treatment as and when required. Routine examination is carried out at the Nurseiy School and in all nurseiy cla.sses. This precedure will be extended to the Day Nurseries next 3'ear. “ To meet the increased demands on the dental service as a result of the operation of the National Health Service Act, iMr. 51. A. Bassett, L.D.S., R.C.S., was appointed to the staff, and took tip his duties on 1st .June. On the 5th -luh', the Smethwick branch of the Birmingham General Dispensary was taken over b3’ the Authoi-ity, and its modern, ftdl3» (>C|uipped dental surgeiw was brought into use for this work. “ During the 3'ear 281 maternal welfare patients were examined and 235 were recommended for treatment. The actual number of treatments was .301 given during 583 attendances and 1-53 individual patients were treated during the year. A number of those recommended for treatment in December would not receive appointments befoi-e the end of the year, but allowing for this comparativel3’ small number. onl3' about 65% took advantage of the treatment offered. “ Pre-school children examined numbered 1-50, of which 137 were referred for treatment and 251 attendances were made at the Clinics. Treatment was inostK- extraction under general anesthesia. “ In conclusion, 1 should like to thank the 5Iedical, Nursing and Clerical staff of the 51. and C.5V. service for their valuable help and co-operation during the 3-ear. GEO. .1. S. LITTLEFIELD, .Senior Dental Officer.”