View report page

90
PART 5
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE
The mental health section of the Health Department has continued
to provide a service of high quality. During the year there
has been a great deal of discussion, reorientation, and actual sharing
of work with other social service departments, both within the
Borough services and outside, to prepare for integration into the
new Social Services Department. The mental health section has
seen it as a particular responsibility to carry through into the new
Department the excellent relationships which have been developed
with the various medical agencies and personnel throughout the
Borough. Mental health social workers have always maintained
particularly close co-operation with the health visitors, and it is
hoped that this continues as the emphasis with the social services
moves towards area-based services.
The most exciting development during the year has been the
opening of the new combined Adult Training Centre and Hostel
for the Mentally Handicapped at Roehampton. This has entirely
eliminated the waiting list in the Borough for training centres for
the adult mentally handicapped, and has provided a completely
new residential service which is more fully described below.
Photographs of the interior of the new building, which was planned
in the Health Department in collaboration with the Director of
Development, will be found in the centre pages of this report
(Plates B and C). In addition, various other developments have
taken place which have improved the leisure activities for the
mentally handicapped over the last year.
STATUTORY DUTIES UNDER THE
MENTAL HEALTH ACT, 1959
The prospect of performing statutory duties under the Mental
Health Act has occasioned anxiety among the social workers from
other departments which are shortly to amalgamate to form the
Social Services Department. The Mental Health section has therefore
provided opportunities to as many as possible to take part in