[Report 1946] / Medical Officer of Health, Smethwick County Borough.

  • Smethwick (Worcestershire, England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1946
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1946] / Medical Officer of Health, Smethwick County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    38/48 (page 38)
    Maternal Deaths. Nuiiilier of Avoineii tlyiiiji in, or in oonsequene? of, childbirtli:— 1944 ... (1) Sepsi.s ... — (2) Other cairses ... 6 1945 ... (1) Wepsis ... 2 (2) Other causes ... 1 1946 ... (1) Sepsis ... — (2) Other causes ... 2 Th'e Maternal mortality rate foi the pa.st twenty years was;— 1926 . . 3-5 19.33 .. ... 3-2 1940 .. . 2-6 1927 . . 3-0 19.34 . ... 5-3 1941 .. .'.. 2-7 1928 . . 4-2 19:1.5 . ... 3-3 1942 .. . .3-9 1929 . . 5-2 19.36 . . . 2-3 1943 .. . 2-1 19.30 . . 4’5 19.37 . ... 2-5 1944 .. . .3-9 1931 . . 1-9 19;i8 . ... 3-3 1945 .. .'.. 21 1932 . . 5-4 19.39 . ... 3-4 1946 .. ..,. 1..33 The ra, 1 1-43 foi for England 1946. and Wales was 1-46 for 1945, 1-9.3 for 19 Child Life Protection. Four individual foster iiiothers ai’O re>iistered under the provisions of the J’nhlic Health Act, 1939, and at the end of the year ea<'h had one,child in her care. The Health Visitors act as the Child Protection Visitors. .■Idoption of Children. During the year 46 persons gave notice under section 7 (3) of the .\doption of (diildi'en (Regulation) Act, 19.39. Supervision is given by the Child Protection Visitor and at the end of the yeai- 2 childivn remained on the register. Home Helps oiiid Domestic Heljr. One full-time Home Help was employed during the year and a.ssisted 12 ca.ses. The Domestic Heljy scheme which was jnit info operation in September, 1945, has not teen veiy successful owing to the very great difficulty in securing suitable women to act as domestic helpers. During the year, several women were employed foi- short periods and assisted in six cases. DAY NURSERIES. The Nur.sery in RTolly Lane was closed in .Inly, the children remain¬ ing being transferred to the other nur.series. The attendances at the Nurseries were well maintained througho\R the year. The total of attendances during 1946 was 36,514, a daily average (excluding Saturday) of 139. The number of individual childi'en on the i-egi.ster at the end of the j^ear was 169. Niirsery Number of Places Total Average Attendances daily 1946 ,\ttendances 1. llra.sshouse Lane (opened 12/1/42) 60 12,.395 48 2. Holly Tauie (closed 6/7/46) ... 33 2,904 21 .3. I'idgha.ston Road (oi)ened 22/6/42) .. 60 13,6.34 54 t. Norman Ro.ad (opened 14/12/42) ... 40 7,.581 29 The Clonncil decided to open a creche .at the Firs Clinic in .\ugust. 1946, in charge of the matron from Holly Lane Nnrseiy. The facilities were offered to mothers on five afternoons each week, hut the res]ionse w;\s disnpi)ointing and the experiment was discontinued in iMarch, 1947. Dining the nine months in which the creche was opened the total attendances were 1,1.50. the daily attendanc.’s never exceeding 16, and dro])])ing to five or six.