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81
PART 5
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE
The mental health service continued to expand in 1966. New
services have been developed and an important increase in the
number of qualified mental health social workers meant a
strengthening of the organization on a fieldwork level, an expansion
of work, and an improvement in the quality of the service
given.
Two assistant principal mental welfare officers have been
appointed. One of their most important duties will be to extend
and improve our contact with the hospitals which serve the area
and they will also make an important contribution to staff development.
Casework supervision can now be offered to all staff who
may require this and this will no doubt lead to the recruitment
of further staff of high calibre. Consultation on the problems of
mental illness can also be offered to other departments and
agencies.
CO-ORDINATION WITH HOSPITAL SERVICES
The two assistant principal mental welfare officers meet each
week with the social workers at West Park and Tooting Bee
Hospitals respectively. At these meetings ways in which improved
co-ordination can be attained are discussed.
A mental health social worker attends Queen Mary's Hospital,
Carshalton, on a weekly or fortnightly basis, working in close
accord with and under the general supervision of the senior social
worker there.
Our mental health social workers continue to carry out the
social work for the three day hospitals in the area, viz. West Park
and St. George's Day Hospital, Tooting Bee Day Hospital and
Springfield Day Hospital. They also attend out-patient clinics at
St. James' Hospital, and West Park and St. George's Day Hospital.
The mental health social workers are able to attend clinical
conferences at West Park, Tooting Bee and Queen Mary's Hospitals
and these conferences have proved extremely valuable for
staff development.
COMMUNITY CARE OF THE MENTALLY DISORDERED
The number of patients receiving a casework service continued
to increase. With the extra staff available it was possible to allocate
additional personnel to work in the busiest areas. More and
more requests are being met for preventive work with people who
have not yet experienced breakdowns leading to hospitalisation.
As the casework service improves and the mental health social
workers spend less time dealing with emergencies, the preventive
field offers new opportunities for a positive approach to mental
health.