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modation provided. Strenuous efforts were made during the year to find a suitable
site on which to build a mixed centre to replace both these centres and at the end of
the year the purchase of a suitable site in central Lewisham was under active consideration.
Some minor improvements were carried out at both centres and those at
Brockley facilitated the teaching of cookery and laundry work. Simple industrial
out-work is carried out at both centres and despite storage difficulties it has been
possible considerably to widen the range of work undertaken. The laundering of
articles used by the three training centres is now carried out by the Brockley trainees.
The conversion of the Brockley centre into a mixed establishment was considered
and agreed in principle but implementation of this decision had to be deferred because
of limitations imposed by the unsatisfactory premises. At the start of the year
some places in the Brockley centre were occupied by trainees from the London
Boroughs of Lambeth and Southwark and some at the Deptford centre were filled
by trainees from Greenwich and Southwark. Trainees from Southwark were withdrawn
and transferred to centres in their own area during the year and there have
since been some vacant places at both centres. At the end of the year 41 places at
Brockley (21 Lewisham trainees) and 58 places at Deptford (38 Lewisham trainees)
were occupied. 24 adult trainees from Lewisham attended centres in Greenwich
where facilities were superior to those within the borough.
Annual Seaside Holiday
33 trainees from the three training centres, accompanied by members of the supervisory
staff, took part in the annual seaside holiday for inner London training centres
at St. Mary's Bay Holiday Camp, Dymchurch, Kent.
Short-term care
The demand for the provision of short term residential care for subnormal persons in
accordance with Ministry of Health Circular 5/52 to provide relief for their families
continued to grow. During the year this form of residential care was provided for
30 adults and 60 children; of these 26 were found accommodation in hospital and
64 in approved homes. Considerable difficulty was encountered in finding suitable
placings for some persons, particularly badly handicapped children, and the lack
of any appropriate homes within easy reach of the borough was the cause of some
concern.
Long-Term care
The obtaining of places in hospital for subnormal persons requiring long-term
residential care continued to be difficult. During the year hospital admissions were
arranged for 12 persons and at the end of the year 11 persons were awaiting admission.
Places in approved homes were found for 6 subnormal persons during the year.
Altogether 32 persons are now being maintained by the Council in such homes.
Co-operation with Hospital Service
Following the issue of Ministry of Health Circular 24/65 in December, 1965, consideration
was given to securing more effective liaison with the mental subnormality
hospital service. A Mental Subnormality Liaison Committee was set up in 1966 with
membership comprising a consultant psychiatrist from Darenth Park Hospital,
a medical subnormality specialist from the Inner London Education Authority and a
local general practitioner as well as senior officers of the Council's mental health
team. This committee meets quarterly and is proving of considerable help in the
provision of specialist advice both generally and in relation to particular problems,
in the planning of the Council's mental health services and in promoting a better
mutual understanding between the separate branches of the health service in this
field.
Other developments included the Combined Assessment Clinic, to which reference
has already been made, and regular visits to Darenth Park Hospital to see patients
from Lewisham by a mental health officer who also carried out social work with the
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