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The proportion entering a mental hospital (74.2 per cent.) and the proportion of
these certified (61.0 per cent.) was still much higher than the corresponding proportion
of cases dealt with in observation wards—61.8 per cent. and 31.6 per cent. respectively.
Psychiatric
social
workers
Community care and after care
Authority was given for the employment of an additional psychiatric social worker,
making the establishment one senior psychiatric social worker and four psychiatric
social workers. Unfortunately it did not prove possible to fill the vacancy or a further
vacancy which arose and for the latter half of the year only the senior and two other
workers were employed.
The number of cases dealt with by the depleted staff during 1958 was 594 (compared
with 500 during 1957). In 374 of these cases, the referring agency was enabled to
continue to deal with the case after advice and help from the Council's psychiatric social
workers. The remaining 220 cases, involving 2,159 interviews (as against 269 and 2,099,
respectively, in 1957) were dealt with directly by the Council's workers.
Five per cent. of the cases were referred by mental hospitals, 20 per cent. by psychiatric
departments of other hospitals, including out-patient clinics associated with mental
hospitals, and the remainder by non-psychiatric agencies. Twelve per cent. of those
referred from non-psychiatric sources had previously been in a mental hospital.
Long-term
care
One hundred and seventy-six chronic and senile cases (compared with 124 during
1957) were maintained by the Council during the year, 156 at homes owned or sponsored
by the Mental After Care Association, 10 at a Jewish Board of Guardians' hostel,
five at Parnham House run by the National Association for Mental Health and five
at other establishments.
Recuperative
holidays and
rehabilitation
During the year 75 persons recovering from mild psychiatric illness were granted
recuperative holidays of two to three weeks in general recuperative holiday homes;
13 who had more serious breakdowns were sent for similar periods to homes owned
or sponsored by the Mental After Care Association, and 13 were accommodated for
periods up to 12 weeks or longer when necessary at the Mental After Care Association
homes at Dartford, Kent; Cheam, Surrey; and Chiswick, Middlesex, which provide
specially for the rehabilitation of younger patients capable of work. The total of 101
compares with 179 in 1957. The fall in numbers was largely due to the drop in the
number of applications received.
Forty-two London patients commenced attendance at the rehabilitation centre
run by the Institute of Social Psychiatry at Blackfriars during the year: of these, and 12
others who began attendance in 1957,10 were discharged to return to work and 26 were
discharged as unsuitable or unlikely to derive further benefit or because of nonattendance
or admission to a mental hospital. Seventeen chronic cases continued to
attend the centre from previous years : of these three were discharged during 1958.
A total of 32 London patients were attending the centre at the end of the year.
National
Association
for Mental
Health
The annual grant made by the Council to the National Association for Mental
Health in recognition of their general services to the community and to local health
authorities in the field of mental health was increased from £200 to £300 a year subject
to review at the end of three years.
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