[Report 1939] / Medical Officer of Health, Birmingham.

  • Birmingham (England). Council.
Date:
1939
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1939] / Medical Officer of Health, Birmingham. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    5/10 (page 5)
    Maternity Homes and Wards There has been a sustained demand for maternit}/ beds in the City hospitals and maternity homes during the year. The number of confine- ments was as follows :— 1939 1938 Dudley Road Hospital 1,113 1,454 Selly Oak Hospital 886 976 Wake Green Road Home 992 845 Heathfield Road Home 702 576 On the declaration of war all the main hospitals cleared large numbers ol beds for the reception of air raid casualties. This led to a temporary reduction in the number of maternity beds available, with a consequent increase in pressure on the beds at the Municipal Maternity Homes in Wake Green Road, Moseley, and Heathfield Road, Handsworth. Accordingly, Pype Hayes Hall Convalescent Home and Lordswood Nursery were constituted post-delivery Homes and patients were trans- ferred from the Maternity Homes on about the fifth day of the puerperium to complete the lying-in period at a post-delivery Home. The accommodation at Heathfield Road Maternity Home was further relieved by converting Bourne House Hostel into a Home for the treat- ment of ante-natal cases, freeing the corresponding section at the Maternity Home for ordinary labours. Subsequently fuither improvement in maternity bed accommodation was effected, by an increase, in two successive stages, of the maternity beds available at Dudley Road Hospital. Since it proved essential to reserve, as a casualty block for A.R.P. purposes, the maternity block completed just before the war, it was found possible to convert certain other wards in the hospital for maternity purposes. Maternity and Child Welfare Centres The woik at Welfare Centres has proceeded generally on normal lines so far as peace-time activities are concerned, though with a necessary reduction in some clinics. Theie have been added, however, a number of war-time duties, including that of information bureau to women, centre of instruction in evacuation and general haven for women in difficulties. They are further being used (1940) extensively in connection with the National Milk Scheme. (a) Distribution of Respirators On the outbreak of war the Air Raid Precautions Department requested that the Maternity and Child Welfare Centres should be used for the