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27
Aged and Infirm Persons.
Under Section 47 of the National Assistance Act, 1948, the
Council are empowered to apply to a Court of Summary Jurisdiction
for an Order for the removal to a hospital or other suitable place
of any person who is aged or infirm or suffering from some grave
chronic disease, and is living under insanitary conditions. This power
is exercisable on the certificate of the Medical Officer of Health.
The Order remains operative for a period of three months, but
the Court may, on application by the Council, extend it for such
further periods, not exceeding three months each, as are considered
necessary.
One such case was dealt with during the year. This was a
Woman of 78 years of age, who lived alone in two rooms on the
top floor of a three-storeyed house, and who, by reason of her
advanced age and physical condition, was clearly quite unable to
devote to herself proper care and attention, and was, in consequence,
living under the most deplorable conditions. No
relatives could be traced. The Order was duly made and she
was removed to hospital. Two applications had subsequently to
be made to the Court for her detention for further periods of
three months, and were granted. Eventually, however, she agreed
to remain permanently in the hospital and give up her rooms.
In a second case, that of a widow aged 74 years, who also
Was living alone in very unsatisfactory conditions, and whose
relatives declined to accept any responsibility for her, the Health
Committee authorised an application to the Court for an Order,
but before the application could be made she agreed voluntarily
to enter hospital.
A number of other cases of persons, mostly of advancing years,
alleged to be living under unsatisfactory conditions, were reported. In
none of these was there justification for certifying that an application
for an Order for removal be made. In some cases, however, it was
found possible to arrange voluntary admission to hospital, and other
cases were under observation at the end of the year.
The procedure under Section 47, as outlined above, was
amended by the National Assistance (Amendment) Act, 1951, which
came into operation on the 1st September, 1951, for the purpose
of enabling very urgent cases to be dealt with more expeditiously.
This new Act provides that the Court, or a single Justice
of the Peace, may, on the certificates of the Medical Officer of
Health and another registered medical practitioner, make an
Order without formal notice of the application having been given
to the person concerned or to the hospital authority, subject, in
the case of the latter, to evidence being produced of their willingness
to admit the person. The length of time a person may be
detained under such an Order is limited to three weeks, instead
of three months, and any application for an extension of this
Period must be made in accordance with the procedure laid down
in Section 47. An application under the new Act may be made by
the Medical Officer of Health without special authority from the
Health Committee in each individual case, provided a genera
authority to act is given. Such general authority was in tact
given by the Council at their meeting on the 3rd October.