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46
The interest and help afforded by the Croydon Guild of Social
Service has again been greatly appreciated, and it is hoped that
useful links can now also be established with the Guild's work
in the Purley and Coulsdon area.
Thanks are due to all the voluntary organisations and individuals
whose assistance in one way and another has been so much
appreciated and readily given.
Mental Health Act 1959
As might be expected the larger London Borough area has
given rise to more calls on the Mental Welfare Officers in
respect of their statutory duties under the Mental Health Act
than arose from the County Borough area the preceding year.
However, the increase is attributable more to the inclusion of
Netherne and Cane Hill Hospitals in the area of the London
Borough of Croydon and to duties in respect of patients in these
hospitals, than to the increased population of the Borough. In
fact the recent slow but steady decline in the number of cases
where statutory admissions become necessary appears happily to
be continuing.

In Netherne and Cane Hill hospitals mental welfare officers
were concerned with 63 Section 25 procedures and 55 Section 26
procedures. This more than accounts for the increase in procedure
under these sections as shown in the table.