IN HOSPITAL WITH MY SON
SIR,--Mrs. lay may be interested to know that an Association has been formed in her own constituency (and her husband's parliamentary one) of North Battersea for. to quote her letter, 'the education of those hospitals which still retain a backwoods out- look on this vital matter.' It is called Mother Care for Children in Hospital. Our idea is that more would be achieved more quickly by organised thought and action in advance than by individual mothers staging a protest by sitting it out by their child's bed. 1 shall briefly outline our aims in case they should inspire other mothers to start a similar organisation. • Our first aim is to try to create an informed local opinion on the subject of mothers in—by discussion with local organisations likely to be interested, such as Mothers' Unions, Maternity and Child Welfare Centres, Young Wives' Fellowships, etc. lames Robertson's excellent films mentioned by Isabel Quigly in her original article on this subject make ideal material for discussion.
Next we plan to discuss in a friendly and con- structive way with the local hospital secretary, matron, pmdiatrician, their present practice in rela- tion to visiting and the admission of mothers with young children and their views and intentions re- lating to the recommendations of the Platt Report which is now Ministry of Health official policy.
Lastly, we believe that a collective voice can be stronger than the plea of one mother desperately anxious about her sick child. Associations of mothers could give support to the needs of individual cases. When you think that only two hospitals in the whole country admit mothers with their children under five without discrimination, there ik plenty to be, done. From such humble beginnings, something useful and constructive may grow.—Yours faithfully,
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