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ADMISSIONS TO HOSPITAL
Of the 1,381 persons referred during the year 470 were admitted
to hospital by Mental Welfare Officers under statutory provisions. Of
these 155 were admitted informally under arrangements made by Mental
Welfare Officers, in addition to those whose informal admission was
arranged by their general practitioner and in respect of whom no record
is held by the department.
COMMUNITY CARE
As will be seen from the accompanying statistics, the Mental
Welfare Officers visited 547 persons during the year, consisting of
367 mentally ill and 180 mentally subnormal.
The average case load per officer was 54.66 persons in addition to
their emergency work. This figure excludes the trainee who has a
training case load of 17.
SOCIAL CLUB
The psychiatric social club continued to function under the auspices
of the Notting Hill Social Council. This Council makes an annual grant
of £60 towards the cost of the club, and the Mental Welfare Officers
attend voluntarily to assist in the running of the club.
THE MENTALLY SUBNORMAL
During the year 102 new cases were referred for appropriate action,
e.g. community care, residential care or admission to Training Centre.
The Special Clinic for children under five years continued to be
held alternately at the Campden Hill and St. Quintin Welfare Centres,
and sixteen children were examined during the year.
Eighteen mentally subnormal children were placed in permanent
residential care and 20 children and adults were provided with shortterm
care in hospitals or private establishments either because of
family crises (illness or mother, etc.) or to give temporary relief
to parents from the strain of caring for a subnormal child.
TRAINING CENTRES
At the Junior Training Centre, one of the Council's Medical Officers
was able to give more time to the re-examination of the children than
has hitherto been the case. In addition, groups of suitable children
were formed to enable formal educational methods to be used.
As a result five children were found to be suitable for transfer
to schools for the educationally subnormal. One child has already
been transferred to an E.S.N, school for the deaf, and four are now
awaiting vacancies. An Assistant Supervisor obtained, during the year,
the Diploma in the Montessori Method of Education. Two members of the
staff are now so qualified.
The Council are still awaiting sanction from the Ministry of Health
for the Special Care Unit to be attached to the Junior Training Centre
and it is still hoped that this will be completed during 1968. There
are now three children accommodated at the Council's expense at the
Special Care Unit provided at St. John's Wood by the Westminster Society
for Mentally Handicapped Children.
In May 1967, the annual organised holiday at Dymchurch, New Romney,
was held for the trainees of the Inner London Boroughs. The camp was,
as usual, under the supervision of Mr. R.F. Potter of the North Kensington
Centre. During the holiday a visit was paid to the camp by the Chairman
of the Health Committee, Alderman Lady Petrie.