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Massage treatment of patients.
33. A trained masseuse has been engaged to give special treatment to patients
at Claybury mental hospital for six months as an experiment, on the result of which
consideration will be given to the advisability of arranging for massage treatment
at all the mental hospitals.
Massage.
Patients' dietary.
34. Reference was made in the last Annual Report (vol. II., p. 15) to the
appointment of a special sub-committee to consider the patients' dietary. The dietary
scale in force when the sub-committee was appointed was a per capita "menu"
scale, providing for the issue of definite amounts for each meal of the ingredients
which were necessary for the preparation of prescribed dishes in accordance with
official formulae. Following the sub-committee's report in place of this scale the
Council has approved, tentatively, a dietary scale expressed in weekly quantities
sufficient for each 100 patients, of the principal orders of food stuffs (e.g., bread,
fats, cheese, meat, vegetables, fish, cereals, flour, pulses, dried fruit, tea, sugar, milk,
etc.), leaving the precise kind of fat, vegetable, cereal, etc., to be determined at
discretion, having regard to the form in which it is proposed the food shall be served.
This involves the abolition of stereotyped formulae and enables a considerable
variation to be made, at the discretion of the responsible officer, in the menus for
all meals. The quantities of the various classes of food prescribed have been
calculated with great care, so as to provide an adequate minimum daily caloric
value for every patient.
Dietary
Standard of laundry for patients.
35. Endeavour has been made to improve the standard of laundry work
deemed necessary for each patient, so as to bring the conditions at the older mental
hospitals, where old equipment, etc., made a high standard difficult, into line with
newer institutions. A fixed standard has been prescribed. The achievement of
this standard however, has necessitated expenditure of approximately £5,000 for
additional plant, alterations to structures, and extra stocks of bed linen, under
garments, towels, etc.
Standard of
laundry.
Occupations Officer.
36. Following the recommendation of the Departmental Committee on administration
of public mental hospitals that a special officer should be appointed at each
institution to act as " occupations officer," with a view to the improvement of the
arrangements for the employment of patients, a lady has been engaged in that
capacity, part-time, at Horton mental hospital for one year in the first instance
as an experiment. She commenced duty on 10th December, 1923.
Occupations
officer.
Second assistant matron.
37. The Council has agreed to the appointment of a second assistant matron
hospital trained, at each of the larger mental hospitals. This officer will be specialty
responsible for the training of probationer nurses.
Second
assistant
matron.
Honorary lady visitor.
38. The experiment first made in 1922 (see Annual Report for 1922, vol. II.
p. 16) of appointing a lady to act in an honorary capacity as visitor to the patients
at Horton mental hospital, has proved so successful that arrangements have been
made for the appointment of one or more such visitors at each of the other mental
hospitals. The visitor is able to give valuable assistance as an intermediary between
patients and their friends, and to assist in the enquiries which are necessary in some
cases when discharge is contemplated, and she can act as a friend to otherwise
friendless patients.
, Appointment
, at each
* mental
l hospital.
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