London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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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 1959
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council]
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Table (iv) Closure
| (a) All cases | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1958 | 1959 | |||
| No. | % | No. | % | |
| No action possible or necessary | 1,770 | 25.1 | 1,807 | 26.3 |
| Discharged by medical officer at observation ward | 1,299 | 18.5 | 1,222 | 17.8 |
| Transferred to general hospital | 74 | 1.1 | 71 | 1.0 |
| Other continued care including section 22 | 102 | 1.5 | 90 | 1.3 |
| Out-patient (psychiatric) and miscellaneous action recommended by psychiatrist | 60 0-8 103 1.5 | |||
| Admitted to mental hospital | ||||
| (a) as voluntary or informal patient | 2,316 | 33.0 | 2,307 | 33.5 |
| (6) on temporary certificate | 39 | 0.6 | 25 | 0.4 |
| (c) on urgency order | 47 | 0.7 | 66 | 1.0 |
| (d) as returned after escape or under Magistrates' Courts Act, 1952 | 26 | 0.4 | 17 | 0.2 |
| (e) certified (sections 14/16) | 1,214 | 17.3 | 1,121 | 16.3 |
| Died | 69 | 10 | 51 | 0.7 |
| 7,016 | 1000 | 6,880 | 100.0 | |
| (b) Observation ward cases | ||||
| 1958 | 1959 | |||
| No. | % | No. | % | |
| Discharged by medical officer | 1,296 | 34.7 | 1,220 | 35.1 |
| Transferred to general ward | 65 | 1.7 | 62 | 1.8 |
| Admitted to mental hospital— | ||||
| (a) as voluntary or informal patient | 1,538 | 41.2 | 1,468 | 42.2 |
| (b) with temporary certificate, as returned after escape or under Magistrates' Courts Act, 1952 | 41 | 1.1 | 27 | 0.8 |
| (c) certified (sections 14/16) | 729 | 19.5 | 642 | 18.5 |
| Died | 56 | 1.5 | 45 | 1.3 |
| Miscellaneous | 13 | 0.3 | 12 | 0.3 |
| 3,738 | 1000 | 3,476 | 1000 | |
Only 10.4 per cent. of the observation ward cases were aged 65 or more.
There were differences in the proportion of various disposals from the five major
observation wards (A to E) and from a group of small units based at mental hospitals (F).
These are as follows:
A B C D E F
% % % % % %
Discharged by medical officer 51.7 29.6 55.8 31.9 37.2 12.4
Admitted to mental hospital—
(i) as voluntary or informal patient 21.7 48.0 32.7 37.0 29.9 71.2
(ii) with temporary certificate, as returned after
escape or under Magistrates' Courts Act,
1952 0.6 0.7 1.0 0.3 3.0 0.4
(iii) certified (sections 14/16) 22.5 19.5 8.5 20.8 26.9 12.8
Percentage certified of those admitted to mental
hospital—
1959 50.2 28.6 20.1 35.9 44.9 15.2
1958 59.6 24.8 30.7 37.0 36.4 18.6
The highest discharge rates, as in previous years, occurred in cases referred from
hospitals—48.5 per cent. among cases referred from casualty departments and 41.7 per
cent, from general wards compared with an average of 32.6 per cent. from other sources.
Also, as formerly, the highest certification rate (39.7 per cent.) for those admitted to
mental hospital was among cases referred from non-medical sources.
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