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Ewell Colony.
4. The arrangement for the use of the Ewell Colony, after its evacuation by
the Ministry of Pensions, as one of the London County mental hospitals in the first
instance for two years, referred to in the Annual Report of the Council for 1926
(Vol. II., p. 4. par, 7), has been reconsidered, and it has been decided to continue to
use the Colony thus without limit of time. This decision was reached because of
the necessity to make further provision for the housing and treatment of all types
of insanity, including acute cases. It involved the abandonment of alternative
proposals which had been discussed, viz., (i) to use the Colony again as it had been
used before the War as a specialised institution for the chronic epileptic insane
capable of a colony life with a good deal of liberty on parole, or (ii) to transfer the
premises for use as a certified institution for the mentally defective.
Additional
accommodation.
5. Comparison of Table I. with the corresponding table in the last Report
(Annual Report of the Council, 1927,Vol. II., p. 3) shows a net increase in the total
measured accommodation of all the hospitals (excluding the special provision for
private male patients at Claybury) of 797 beds (285 for males and 512 for females).
The chief factors contributing to this result have been (i) the reversion to use as
patients' accommodation at Banstead mental hospital of M4 ward, which had been
adapted for use as dormitory accommodation for nurses, and the bringing into use
at the same hospital of two female wards which temporarily had been out of use
for reconstruction, (ii) the opening of a new admission hospital for 50 female patients
at Claybury mental hospital; (iii) at Colney Hatch mental hospital the opening
of a new admission hospital for 40 male patients, the re-opening of D ward for 40
male patients, the reclassification and remeasurement of the accommodation for
female patients and the use for 18 female patients of single rooms which had served
as nurses' bedrooms (see Annual Report of the Council, 1927, Vol. II., p. 4), arrangements
which together give an additional 66 beds, and (iv) the reconversion to
patients' accommodation at Long Grove mental hospital (65 males) of J2 ward,
which had been used temporarily as dormitory accommodation for nurses. Not
all this accommodation, however, was actually available for occupation at 1st
January, 1929. (See par. 13.)
6. The accommodation set out in Table I. includes the additional accommodation
which was in contemplation at the time of publication of the Council's Annual
Report for 1926 (see table at p. 5, Vol. II.), except the additional 120 beds for female
patients at Horton mental hospital to be set free by the erection of a nurses' home,
which has become available, however, since 1st January, 1929. The total measured
accommodation available for use at 31st March, 1929, was 20,701 (8,717 males,
11,984 females).
New schemes
for (providing
accommodation.
7. In addition to schemes for providing additional accommodation which
already are being proceeded with, particulars of which are given in Vol. II. of the
Council's Annual Report for 1927 (p. 4, par. 6), we have approved a scheme for the
erection of a nurses' home at Banstead mental hospital setting free accommodation
for 30 female patients*. The scheme for the erection of admission villas at
Banstead, referred to in the same report (Vol. II., p. 4, par. 7) is still under
consideration. We have also under consideration schemes for the erection of a
nurses' home at Long Grove mental hospital which will release space at present
used for nurses' bedrooms to provide about 33 additional beds for male patients,
and the erection of a sanatorium for about 30 female patients at the same
hospital, for the erection of a nurses' home at Cane Hill mental hospital which
will release space at present used for nurses' bedrooms to provide about 76 additional
beds for female patients, for the provision of a second nurses' home at
* In the Annual Report for 1927 (chapter II., par. 7), this number was said, incorrectly,
to be 67; that figure represents the number of nurses to be displaced, not the number of
patients who will occupy the accommodation vacated.