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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
London County Council 1928
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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London County Council.
ANNUAL REPORT OF THE COUNCIL, 1928.
VOL. II.—MENTAL HOSPITALS AND MENTAL DEFICIENCY.
CHAPTER I.
During the year ended 31st March, 1929, the position, powers and duties of the
Council in regard to the care of the mentally afflicted have not been altered. A full
list of these powers and duties will be found in Vol. I. of the Annual Report for
1926, pp. 29 and 30. The passing of the Local Government Act, 1929, will
introduce substantial changes, but these will not become operative until 1st April
1930, and will be matter for discussion, therefore, in a subsequent report.
CHAPTER II.
Report of the Mental Hospitals Committee to the London County Council.
1. This report, for the year ended 31st March, 1929, is the twelfth annual
report of the Committee to which, under section 35 of the London County Council
(General Powers) Act, 1915, stand referred all matters relating to the exercise by the
Council of the powers of a visiting committee under the Lunacy Acts. It is the
thirty-seventh annual report upon the administration of the London County
mental hospitals.*
Scope of the
report.
2. During the period covered by this report, meetings have been held as
followsMental Hospitals Committee, 11; visiting sub-committees of mental
hospitals (ordinarily fortnightly, one meeting being held to transact general business
and the next to discharge patients and to make statutory inspections), 259; other
sub-committees (dealing with matters arising from the Council's administration of
the Lunacy Acts), 31.
Meetings.
Accommodation.
3. On 1st January, 1929, the accommodation at the London County mental
hospitals, according to the requirements of the Board of Control as to bed space,
was :—
Accommodation.
Table 1.
| Mental hospital. | Beds. | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Males. | Females. | Total. | |
| Banstead | 1,132 | 1,414 | 2,546 |
| Bexley | 1,043 | 1,110 | 2,153 |
| Cane Hill | 850 | 1,260 | 2,110 |
| Claybury | 930 | 1,279 | 2,209 |
| Claybury (for private cases only) | 65 | — | 65 |
| Colney Hatch | 1,052 | 1,513 | 2,565 |
| Hanwell | 1,018 | 1,331 | 2,349 |
| Horton | 271 | 1,655 | 1,926 |
| Long Grove | 1,128 | 1,005 | 2,133 |
| West Park | 1,128 | 968 | 2,096 |
| Ewell Colony | 100 | 329 | 429 |
| Total | 8,717 | 11,864 | 20,581 |
| Total (excluding private accommodation at Claybury) | 8,652 | 11,864 | 20,516 |
*It should be observed that a few of the matters dealt with in this chapter, e.g., under the
section relating to superannuation Acts, have an application wider than the mental hospital
service and concern also the service under the Mental Deficiency Acts, which, strictly, is
matter for chapter III., which follows.
16994 B