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NATIONAL ASSISTANCE ACT, 1948—SECTION 47
On Friday, 9th November, 1951, I was asked by the District
Sanitary Inspector to visit a flat in Bermondsey, his attention having
been drawn to the conditions there by the owners who had visited in
connection with its redecoration.
The flat consisted of a small kitchen, a smaller bedroom, a separate
W.C. and a tiny scullery. The premises were exceedingly dirty and
verminous; there was almost no furniture, but there was a small iron
bedstead in the bedroom and another in the kitchen on each of which
was a filthy mattress but no bed-clothes. The two occupants, both
old women, were not related to one another; they were personally
filthy and did not appear to have washed for many days. I endeavoured
to persuade these two old ladies, whose respective ages were 86 and 73,
to agree to be removed to an Institution where they could get proper
care and cleansing, and I promised that while they were away the flat
would be redecorated and prepared for their return. I suggested
that this would require at least a fortnight, but both old ladies refused
to consider going away.
I visited the flat on three subsequent occasions and eventually
persuaded one of the ladies to go to relatives, and the other one promised
at the same time to go into an Institution. Unfortunately, in the first
case, the relatives refused to take her, and she was ultimately removed
to Newington Lodge Institution, S.E.17, with her own consent.
In the meantime the other lady had disappeared and could not be found;
when she did return to the flat she was helplessly drunk. I visited her
again with the Chief Inspector and found her still too drunk to stand
or speak coherently, and there was on the table in front of her a teacup
one-third full of methylated spirits and three empty bottles which
appeared also to have held methylated spirits. Later on the same day
I visited again, accompanied by the Chief Inspector and Dr. Mary
Nixon of St. Olave's Hospital, and Dr. Nixon and I signed a certificate
in accordance with Section I(1) of the National Assistance (Amendment)
Act, 1951, and the necessary Order under Section 3 of that Act was
made by a Justice of the Peace for the County of London for a period
of fourteen days, whereupon she was removed by ambulance to
Newington Lodge Institution, S.E.17.
The owners of the flat were notified and the flat was disinfected
in preparation for the workmen, after which it was redecorated.
The old lady who had voluntarily entered an Institution returned
to the flat after its redecoration. The one removed by the Order
decided to remain in the Institution and is still there.