The Act provides that on and after the first of September next the Notification of Births Act, 1907, described as the principal Act, shall extend to and take effect in every area in which it is not already in force.
In the case of a county district the principal Act will come into operation as if it had been adopted by the Council of the urban or rural district.
The principal Act provides that in the case of every child born within the district it is the duty of the father of the child, if he is actually residing in the house where the birth takes place at the time of its occurrence, and of any person in attendance upon the mother at the time of, or within six hours after, the birth, to give notice in writing of the birth to the medical officer of health of the district. This notice must be given in the case of every child which has issued forth from its mother after the expiration of the twenty-eighth week of pregnancy whether alive or dead.
The notice is to be given by prepaid letter or postcard addressed to the medical officer of health, giving the necessary information of the birth within thirty-six hours after the birth, or by delivering a written notice of the birth at the office or residence of the medical officer within the same time. The local authority is required to supply without charge addressed and stamped postcards containing the form of notice to any medical practitioner or midwife residing or practising in their area who applies for the same.
The Act also provides for penalties for failure to notify a birth in accordance with the Act.
It will be the duty of every local authority in whose area the principal Act comes into force by virtue of the new Act to bring the provisions of the principal Act to the attention of all medical practitioners and midwives practising in the area [Section 1 (3)].
The Board wish especially to call attention to Section 1 (2) of the new Act, under which the medical officer of a county district, for which the principal Act had not previously been adopted, will be required to send duplicates of any notices of birth he receives to the county medical officer of health as soon as may be after they are received. The early receipt of these duplicate notices is important, particularly in facilitating the inspection of midwives, and the Board trust that arrangements will be made under which the duplicates are as a matter of routine immediately transmitted to the county medical officer.
Administrative Arrangements under the Act.
Section 2 of the Act provides that for the purpose of following up the information obtained under the powers of the principal Act and for facilitating arrangements for the care of expectant mothers, nursing mothers and young children, all the powers of the Public Health Acts may be exercised. These powers will be available not only to all sanitary authorities, but also to all County Councils other than the London County Council. In London the powers of the Public Health (London) Act, 1891, will be available for work undertaken in regard to the care of mothers and young children by Metropolitan Borough Councils.