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relatives, neighbours, etc., and more and more home visits are being made to patients by
mental health social workers. Close co-operation has been built up with hopital and other
social workers and voluntary bodies. Invaluable help is received from the consultants at
Long Grove hospital, who are always willing to see patients at short notice. Also of immense
value is the day hospital at St. Clements, Poplar, which caters mainly for the elderly mentally
ill. Nurses from this hospital visit the homes of the patients with mental health social
workers to the benefit of all concerned.
The Pritchards Road day centre, Bethnal Green, for 40 mentally ill persons was opened
by the Council in August 1964. This is not yet running to full capacity but is proving worthwhile.
Already four patients have benefited sufficiently to return to open employment.
There are three evening social clubs for the mentally ill, two of which are run in conjunction
with the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association.
A special advisory clinic for mentally backward children under five—the first of its kind
in London—started in this division in 1953. It is conducted by a doctor with special
experience in this field and sessions continue to be held once monthly.
The first experimental industrial training centre in London for mentally handicapped
older boys and men opened in the division in Whitechapel in 1955. The unit was transferred
in February 1964 to better accommodation at Unity Hall, Poplar and the number of places
increased from 20 to 30. This is a most successful project. Two training centres in the
division for older girls and women—one at Bethnal Green and one at Whitechapel—
provide a total of 85 places. These opened in 1962 and 1963 respectively. The centre at
Bethnal Green also has a special care unit for 12 children who are physically as well as
severely mentally handicapped.
The staffs of all these centres give devoted service and there is no doubt that more
projects of this kind would be of immense benefit.
There is a flourishing Peter Pan Society (a local branch of the National Society for Mentally
Handicapped Children) and a club run by parents for all of the severely subnormal
who are over 12 years of age.
Health education—This has steadily expanded in the division and now includes thriving
mothers' clubs at seven centres, and a schoolgirls' club for 15-17 year olds at Wapping,
which is doing very well. Talks and demonstrations by representatives from various
outside organisations are given regularly and are very much appreciated. The mothers
choose the type of lecture to be given and the programmes cover a wide range of health
education subjects. Creches are provided for the afternoon clubs. Evening film shows are
given at Wellington Way centre, which parents attend regularly.
Health visitors teaching in schools arrange for the girls to see at the welfare centres the
practical part of mothercraft lectures, e.g. ' Bathing the baby', ' Making up feeds' etc.
which is more interesting for them than ' just another lecture at school'.
Posters and projects are planned for each month in all child welfare and school treatment
centres, in day nurseries and in home help offices.
Social work for schoolchildren—The great improvement since the war in the health of
schoolchildren and also the facilities available under the National Health Service are
reflected in the reduced social worker effort needed to ensure that individual pupils receive
the medical and dental treatment which they have been found to require. Special observation
clinics for rheumatism cases and sessions for treating ear conditions are not required,
while social workers no longer have to play a regular part at minor ailment sessions, which
have greatly declined, or in the dental service. The social work associated with special
investigation clinics which absorbed the nutrition and enuresis clinics has, however,
increased and liaison work with hospitals on behalf of schoolchildren continues unabated.
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