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Methodist Church Hall, Ebury Bridge Road, S.W.1
The Church authorities have very kindly placed a room at the disposal of the City Council and a
club has been formed there; 12 patients attend regularly.
The aim of these clubs is to provide facilities for social communications, to encourage its expression
and to provide a focal point for people living in isolation.
Residential care
The number of persons in residential care during 1969 was as follows:—
Mentally ill 49 (35 in 1968)
Subnormal or severely subnormal 54 (41 in 1968)
In addition, there are 21 subnormal or severely subnormal children in care of the Children's
Department in residential homes.
Applications for approval or re-approval of medical practitioners
During 1969, three medical practitioners were approved or re-approved for the purposes of
section 28 of the Mental Health Act, 1959.
THE TERRACE DAY CENTRE
Report for 1969
(by Dr. R. A. Stewart, Medical Officer in Charge of the Centre)
Throughout the year 1969 we have continued to expand our endeavours in order to help the
mentally ill to gain confidence, overcome isolation and become useful members of the community.
The signs and symptoms of mental illness are many and among these is the factor of social
isolation. The patient usually has a sense of feeling different from other people and this leads to
problems of social acceptance within the family and within the community at large. Tolerance on the
part of the patient's contacts very often breaks down and this combined with an innate fear of mental
disorder in the community present many problems in treatment.
At the Terrace Day Centre we accept patients of all categories of mental disorder, other than
mentally handicapped, from adolescence onwards and of both sexes who work with the staff
together in a social group. We usually have about equal numbers of men and women with a total roll
of 50 to 60 at one time. The statistical table (Table 44, page 88) gives an analysis of the composition
and the results achieved.
Out-patients are referred to us from various social services but usually through Westminster
mental health social workers. We also accept referrals from general practitioners, psychiatric
clinics, mental and general hospitals and also many other sources including the Department of
Employment and Productivity.
The morning routine follows a social pattern in that the members work together on simple
productive industrial work. The type and quantity of work depends on the success we have in
obtaining contracts from firms and organisations. We have facilities for assembling and packing small
articles and also collating, stapling, addressing and counting circulars for posting. Advertising material
can be sorted and arranged prior to posting. The Centre is always grateful for contract work of this
nature and it is surprising and rewarding how quite ill people can be encouraged and helped to regain
health if persuaded to pursue this useful work.
The midday dinner is prepared daily by the patients in the well-equipped kitchen under the supervision
of one of the staff and again the accent is on the social value of a working group. The patients
are allotted to this activity on a rota. We also have a rota for washing up and tea-making and the
regular task of cleaning and polishing floors throughout the premises. From time to time we have
sessions of jam making and produce many hundreds of pounds during the year which find a ready
sale. Our small laundry copes with the Centre's linen and all members of the group may use its
facilities for their own washing as many of our patients have little or no facilities in their own
lodgings.
The carpentry workshop undertakes simple repairs to the fabric of the building at the Centre.
Furniture has been repaired for individual orders and various articles can be made on request. We
continue to produce racks for postcard display which are sent to holiday resorts on contract. Some
quite elaborate toys and equipment have been made for the City Council's Ebury Bridge Junior
Training Centre.