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'place of safety' under section 15 of the Mental Deficiency Act, 1913. This means that
many defectives, receiving care in public or charitable institutions not properly staffed
or equipped to deal with them, cannot be brought within the scope of the Mental
Deficiency Acts and given the care and training they need.
Petitions
During 1956, 185 petitions for orders for institutional care and 26 for guardianship
were presented to judicial authorities under section 6 of the Mental Deficiency Act,
1913. 2 petitions were dismissed. In addition 55 children were placed in institutions
by their parents under Section 3 of the Mental Deficiency Act, 1913. 32
applications for varying orders were made and, as a result, 17 patients were transferred
to other guardians and 15, who had become unsuitable for guardianship, were admitted
to hospitals and institutions.
Magistrates'
courts
The Council s medical officers continued to attend magistrates courts as required to
give evidence as to the mental condition of defectives charged with criminal offences.
During the year 29 such cases were ordered to be sent to mental deficiency institutions
under section 8 of the Mental Deficiency Act, 1913.
Institutional
accommodation
The shortage of accommodation for mentally defective persons, especially for
children under 16, continued to cause grave concern to the Council. Difficulties arose
especially in respect of children in the Council's boarding (E.S.N.) schools, who had
been ' reported ' under section 57 of the Education Act, 1944, as ineducable, for whom
vacancies in mental deficiency institutions or hospitals were not available. As a result, a
number of these children had to be taken into care by the Council's Children's Committee
and placed in private establishments until vacancies became available. In June
1956 the Council decided to send a deputation to the Minister of Health urging the
need for the provision of more hospital accommodation for the mentally deficient.
The deputation was received by the Minister on 17th October, 1956. At the same time,
representations were made to the Minister regarding the shortage of observation ward
accommodation for urgent cases of acute mental illness. Towards the end of the year
the position as regards mental deficiency hospital accommodation for patients from the
North West, North East and South West Metropolitan regions showed some improvement,
but the position in respect of the South East region remained extremely difficult.
The total number of admissions rose slightly, 292 patients being admitted in 1956
compared with 276 in 1955. At the end of the year the number on the waiting list for
admission was 186 (including 161 under 16 years of age) compared with 230 (including
184 under 16) at the end of 1955. Six children on the waiting list were found on
re-examination to have improved to such an extent as to be considered educable and
their names were removed from the waiting list and twelve patients on the waiting list
died.
Guardianship
During the year 25 patients were placed under guardianship. Of these 13 were
school leavers who had no satisfactory homes but were considered suitable for life in the
community. At 31st December, there were 217 patients under guardianship as follows :
52 under the personal guardianship of the Council's social workers.
64 under the guardianship of nominees of the Guardianship Society, Brighton.
65 under the guardianship of relatives and friends.
31 under the guardianship of superintendents of voluntary homes.
Of the remainder, three were temporarily in institutions awaiting decisions as to
their future care, one was receiving treatment in a mental hospital and one had absconded
from her guardian and was untraced.
During the year 14 patients were discharged from the orders placing them under
guardianship, 19 were transferred from guardianship to institutional care and one died.
Monetary
grants
Following increases in the National Assistance allowances, an increase from 37s. 6d.
to 40s. a week was authorised in the maximum allowance payable for the maintenance
of mentally deficient persons under the guardianship of relatives and friends.
Christmas
extras
Authority was given for expenditure not exceeding 10s. a head in approved cases
for the provision of extra fare etc. at Christmas for patients under guardianship.
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