[Report 1964] / Medical Officer of Health, Middlesbrough County Borough.

  • Middlesbrough (England). County Borough Council.
Date:
1964
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1964] / Medical Officer of Health, Middlesbrough County Borough. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    16/136 (page 14)
    SECTION B MIDWIFERY SERVICE 1964 At the beginning of the year there were on the staff the Non-Medical Supervisor, her senior assistant and 19 midwives. One has since resigned and one has retired after many years of excellent work. Despite advertising we have been unable to recruit more staff. Midwifery Training The Part II school for midwifery training continues and pupil midwives worked on the district. Twenty-two were successful in obtaining their certificate. Carter Bequest Hospital With the closure of Ardencaple on 31.3.64 the number of applications for Carter Bequest Hospital increased. To the shortage of beds was added the problem of a shortage in staff. From 8.2.64 to 8.5.64 domiciliary midwives did day duty in the hospital, working in pairs for a week at a time. At the end of this period, when the hospital staff increased the position was reviewed and it was arranged that 65 patients, instead of 55, should be booked for admission to Carter Bequest Hospital every month. Towards the end of the year it was again obvious that the number of requests for beds was exceeding the number available and at a meeting called in December to discuss the situation, it was arranged that the department should recommend 55 patients, the remaining 10 to be used for patients recommended by the Consultant Obstetricians. At the same time planned early discharge was discussed and if was decided that except in special circumstances no patient should be discharged before her 7th day and that the position was to be reviewed after 3 months. It may well be that if planned early discharge becomes standard practice because of the increasing demand for hospital delivery, more midwives will be required to cope with the extra work involved. Some three years ago the National Birthday Trust instituted a Perinatal Survey in which members of this Department took part. The results have now been published. The recommendations are that all women having their first or fifth and upwards pregnancy and those living in poor social conditions, should be encouraged to go to hospital for their confinements. Cord Blood The taking of cord blood-—a service started in Septem¬ ber of last year—has proved very useful; 191 samples were