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school and centres for the mentally subnormal.
Richmond Avenue Day Centre
Islington's first Day Centre, originally housed in a Church hall in Britannia Row, moved
in April 1967 to improved premises in Richmond Avenue, where it has gone from strength to
strength and by the end of the year there was a waiting list for admission.
Those who attended were on the whole people who, due to the effects of their illness,
were unlikely to return to full time work in the community, at least for some considerable
time. Nevertheless, for a few of those attending, return to open employment proved possible
after only a short period at this centre. Sub-contract work of the packing and light assembly
variety and the repainting of nursery furniture were the main activities. Regular art
classes were also available for those who were interested. Every effort was made to restore
self-respect and to achieve some measure of social rehabilitation. It was possible for
patients who lack adequate facilities at home to bath and shave at the centre, wash and set
their hair and do their personal laundry.
Towards the end of the year arrangements were made on an experimental basis for three
long-stay patients from the local catchment hospital to attend Richmond Avenue Centre daily,
travelling unescorted by public transport and returning to Friern Hospital at night. The aim
is gradual return to full life in the community. It seems a worthwhile venture and so far
results are encouraging though it is too early to reach any firm conclusions.
A further development was the formation of a discussion group for relatives of day
centre patients. Hie group met at the centre in the evening at regular intervals to share
with one another, with the centre staff and with the mental health social worker attached to
the centre, some of the problems which are common to those who live with mentally disabled
relatives.
Certainly the first two and half years' life of this Centre has been a time of rapid
growth and development and the need for more day centre places in the Borough has become
abundantly clear.
Pine Street Day Centre
This centre opened in January 1967 as a short term psychiatric day centre, having
previously been used as a centre for E.S.N, school leavers and people who needed long term
part-time support.
Hie aim of this centre is to provide short term rehabilitation, the average length of
stay being six months. Rehabilitation here is in the broadest sense with the emphasis on
relationships and re-socialisation in both working and informal situations.
The establishment has facilities for twenty patients with a staff of two, the supervisor
being a trained occupational therapist. One of the Borough mental health social workers is
attached to the centre and a meeting of all staff with Dr. Brook acting as psychiatric
adviser is held each week.
Patients are referred through the mental health social workers in community care, or
direct from social workers in hospital or agencies in the area. To ensure that patients who
are not suited to this type of centre are not referred, each case is discussed at the weekly
staff meeting. Hie social worker presenting the case fills in a detailed form giving the
history, work records, and family, situation so that the staff can assess whether or not the
patient will benefit from this kind of treatment, and whether they will fit in with the present
group of patients.
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