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with emergency calls for the mental health service, This means providing a 24-hour service,
seven days a week, including bank holidays
The mental health social workers augmented by some nursing staff provide a night and
weekend duty service on a rota basis. This emergency service operates from 5 p.m, each evening
to 8.45 am the following morning and at weekends from 5 p,m. on Fridays to 8.45 a.m, on
Mondays, during which period all requests are directed to the duty doctor at St. Clement's
Hospital, Bow Road, E.3, who contacts the mental health officer on duty as required.
Approval of Doctors under Mental Health Act 1959
The Mental Health Act 1959 provides that one of the two medical recommendations required
for the compulsory removal of mentally disordered persons to hospital shall be made by a doctor
approved for this purpose by the local health authority as having special experience in the
diagnosis or treatment of mental disorders. No applications were received this year for approval,
Short-Term Care
Temporary care is arranged in homes and hospitals for mentally subnormal patients to give
relatives a welcome relief and to allow them to take a holiday
Residential Hostel Accommodation
The Council accepts financial responsibility for the care of mentally disordered persons
in residential hostel accommodation provided in the Borough by a voluntary organisation, and
in hostels provided by other local authorities and voluntary associations Where patients are
in employment or have other incomes, an assessment is made to determine their contribution
towards their maintenance. Apart from those under guardianship. 35 other persons were in hostels
at the end of the year.
By reason of the large amount of accommodation existing in the Borough for transients e.g
common lodging houses, seamen's lodging houses and other lodging houses and houses in multiple
occupation, an inordinate burden is thrown upon the Council by requests from hospital and
other authorities for it to accept full responsibility for the care of mentally disordered
persons in residential homes, on the grounds that the person had a Tower Hamlets residence
prior to admission to hospital. The Ministry of Health Circular which governs the responsibility
of local health authorities for providing such accommodation, is capable of varying interpretations,
Accordingly, steps were taken in 1967 to have this matter brought before the London
Boroughs Association with a view to obtaining agreement as to which authority should accept
responsibility in the various categories of circumstances likely to arise The Council adopted
the recommendations of the London Boroughs Association in the matter which were made known at
the end of the year, namely, where the need for residential accommodation arises immediately
upon discharge from a National Health Service hospital the test shall be ordinary residence
prior to the date of admission; where the need arises immediately on a child ceasing to be in
the care of a local authority the financial responsibility shall attach to the local authority
which was responsible for the person whilst in care; where it cannot be established that the
person had any settled residence within a reasonable time prior to the need arising, he shal1
be deemed to have been ordinarily resident in the place where he slept on the night before
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