London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Bexley 1970
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Bexley]
This page requires JavaScript
(d) Emergency services — evening and week-end calls for a small number of patients whose
circumstances require it. Home helps provide meals for many housebound old persons
during the week-ends as on other days.
RECUPERATIVE CARE
This service has continued during the year. It is intended to assist those who need this service
to return to as normal a life as they are capable of and who are unable to provide this care for themselves
or through any other agencies. They are usually recommended by general practitioners and
visited and assessed by health visitors before being passed.
The number of cases dealt with during the year was 17 (21 in 1969).
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE
MENTALLY ILL PERSONS
Care of the mentally ill was given by the staff of Mental Welfare Officers who, by 1970, were
organised into two well-balanced teams serving northern and southern halves of the Borough. This
arrangement fitted in with the hospital catchment areas, the training centres and social and
recreation clubs for mentally subnormal adults.
The following table A shows the sources from which the 279 new mentally ill patients were
referred during the year and table B shows that most of the total number of mentally ill patients
(527) were receiving home visits.
| Under 16 years | 16 years and over | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Male | Female | |
| General Practitioners | 1 | 22 | 64 | |
| Hospitals on discharge from in-patient treatment | 32 | 48 | ||
| Hospitals after or during out-patients or day treatment | 10 | 8 | ||
| Police or Courts | 3 | 1 | ||
| Other sources | 42 | 48 | ||
| TOTAL | 1 | 109 | 169 | |