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Mental Health Services.
The Mental Health Service covers both mental defectiveness
and mental treatment. Treatment in an institution or hospital
is, of course, provided by the State, but the Corporation have
arrangements to help persons suffering mentally, or their
relatives, in their own homes, and to follow them up after discharge
from a hospital or institution.
(a) Mental Deficiency.
The Corporation have qualified visitors who are prepared
to visit and advise the relatives of mental defectives, and, if
necessary, the defective can be placed under statutory guardianship
or sent to an institution where he or she can be trained
according to his or her capacity. Defectives under guardianship
can be helped financially. The Corporation conduct an
Occupation Centre for 30 suitable children at 589, London
Road. Enquiries regarding these services should be made to
the Health Department, 20, Katharine Street, Croydon.
(b) Mental Treatment.
It is probably common knowledge that a person who feels
that he or she needs a period of treatment in a mental hospital
can voluntarily enter the hospital for treatment and be able to
leave at any time on short notice. Cases arise, however, where
a person needing treatment in a mental hospital is too ill to
make this decision, and under the old system a Relieving Officer
could be consulted, who could send the patient for observation
to a hospital. With the repeal of the Poor Law, the new Health
Service provides for "authorised officers" who have no connection
with the Poor Law or any other service, who will be
properly trained in mental deficiency and mental treatment
work, and who will be able to take initial proceedings in providing
for the care and treatment of persons suffering from
mental illness. Enquiries can be made from the Health Department,
20, Katharine Street, Croydon.
No difficulty was experienced in the year under review in
meeting demands upon the various sections set out above, but
these were heavy and increases in personnel and equipment, in
accordance with the Corporation's approved schemes were
necessary. Reviewing the whole range of new services operating
from July 5th, 1948, hospital, general practitioners and supplementary,
it is clear that the Local Health Authorities, having the
long established machinery of local government through which to
functions, were able rapidly to resolve the problems which arose, and
to give some needed help to the newly-established hospital system.
The problems which were (and remain) difficult to solve, arose
from the fact that the hospitals were quite unable to accept all
those for whom hospital treatment or nursing care were deemed
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