London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Islington 1967
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Islington Borough]
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MENTAL HEALTH
1. Social Work
In 1967 the growth and development of the Borough mental health service continued, the
majority of the mental health social workers having been working together as a team for 3
years or more and closer links having gradually developed with the general practitioners and
the various agencies in the Borough and with catchment hospitals. Following the experiment
referred to in previous annual reports four of the mental health social workers were linked
with general practitioners and attended their surgeries for one session a week to assist
with psychological problems for selected cases. This extension of the service in the
preventive field is taking place under the guidance of the Borough's consultant psychiatrist
who continues to spend two sessions a week in the mental health section.
Student supervision was a regular feature of the expanding work, and in addition to
social work student placements in the mental health section, medical students from two
London Teaching Hospitals continued to spend a day each month with a mental health social
worker as part of their psychiatric training.
The total number of persons referred to the mental health section by general practitioners, local education authorities, police etc. was as follows:-
| Mentally ill | Sub-normal and severely subnormal | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Males | 410(403) | 65(72) | 475(475) |
| Females | 657(588) | 51(54) | 708(642) |
| Totals | 1,067(991) | 116(126) | 1,183(1,117) |
The total number in community care at the end of the year was 799 (829)
43(42) mentally subnormal patients were provided with short term residential care,19(20)
at the Council's expense and 24(22) in National Health Service Hospitals and at the end of
the year the number of patients supported financially by the Council in various residential
homes and hostels totalled 59(37), 28(17) mentally ill and 31(20) mentally subnormal and
severely sub-normal.
The second National Mental Health Week proved most successful in Islington and the
mental health social workers again gave talks at a variety of clinics and to senior classes
in schools, church groups and other organisations throughout the Borough, the highlight of
the week was a very well attended symposium at the Town Hall in which several eminent
psychiatrists and Mrs. O.M. Dyke of the Women's Royal Voluntary Services (Friern Hospital)
participated.
2. Day Centres and Training Centres
There have been noteworthy developments at the day centres for psychiatric patients,
the total attendances increasing from 5,773 in 1966 to 7,760 in 1967 and at the training
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