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114
The work of the care committees in following up and reporting upon home
conditions has again been of great assistance and the active co-operation of the
Borough Medical Officers of Health in endeavouring to improve and correct some of
the deplorable housing conditions in which some of our cases are to be found has
been greatly appreciated.
During the latter end of the year an alteration in staff took place. Dr. C. E.
Thornton, who for so many years had combined the supervisory and administrative
work at the County Hall, together with care of the in-patients at Queen Mary's
Hospital, Carshalton, decided to concentrate on his hospital work under the SouthWest
Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board, and Dr. R. Cove Smith was appointed
to deal with the administrative side, to undertake visits to rheumatism supervisory
centres and to supervise the cardiac cases at schools for physically handicapped
children. In the near future it is probable that these cardiac cases will come under
the care of cardiovascular clinics attached to hospitals as a part of the hospital
organisation of the national health scheme, but it will be necessary to ensure that
the better facilities for diagnosis and treatment which may result from this will not
lead to any fall in the attention paid to the preventive aspects of the work.
Tables 29 to 32 (page 155) give details of this service.
Psychiatric service in remand homes
Dr. P. D. Scott, M.A., M.D., D.P.M. reports :
The psychiatric work was carried out by one psychiatrist (two-thirds full-time),
two educational psychologists (one of them part-time), and a psychiatric social
worker. Assistance was also given by psychiatrists, from County Hall when pressure
of work was high.
The junior girls were transferred from Stamford House in May, 1950, and
since their numbers had been kept as low as possible almost all the psychiatric work
was with boys.
The number of psychiatric reports requested by the Courts was 783, of which
17 were for girls. This represented a reduction on the previous years: 1948—800
psychiatric reports and 1949—902.
In addition 17 cases were referred for psychiatric examination while remanded
on bail.
The team was also used for the selection of cases for the Henderson Trust
establishment for pre-delinquent children at Seer Green, and cases referred by
probation officers were seen when the case load permitted.

Problem children
The Council's scheme, established in 1944, to co-ordinate the local arrangements
for special children's case work was continued in 1950. Particulars of school children