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6
a difficulty peculiar to Croydon, but arose here before building had begun.
The purchase of a site for the South Norwood Centre made some progress
and this project was still up to schedule.
The Domiciliary Nursing Team
The trend to attachment of Health Visitors, District Nurses and Midwives
to groups of Family Doctors was continued, hampered by staff shortages. So
far these have met only requests from general practitioners, and no effort has
been made to initiate such arrangements. Difficulties of staff crossing
Borough boundaries were met by proposals for mutual cover by adjoining
Authorities, but these arrangements were not functioning in the year under
review. It does seem that the combined team results in great benefits to the
patients, and is a pattern for application throughout the Borough.
Home Helps
The development of this service as an essential part of domiciliary care
was pursued with emphasis on in-service training, stressing the responsibilities
involved. Recruitment of Home Helps has been difficult in Croydon due
to the many other opportunities for employment. This new image of essential
help through domestic skills is now attracting recruits, who understand the
real importance of the work.
Care of Pre-School Children
The continued demand for more Nursery Groups and Child Minding facilities
entailed much more work for the supervisory staff involved. A new
Corporation Day Nursery was approved under the Urban Aid scheme and
should be functioning by 1971.
Mental Health
There was an official opening of the new Coldharbour School which replaced
the former Junior Training Centre on the adjoining site. In anticipation
of transfer to the Education Committee the Education Department was
involved in the setting up of a Parent/Teachers Association, which emphasized
to parents the pending changes which they have sought for so many
years. The temporary sheltered workshop was replaced by a purpose-built
factory unit, which provides also accommodation for the industrial rehabilitation
services, and this too was formerly opened in 1969. Made possible by
a generous grant from the Department of Employment and Productivity, it was
an important contribution to the mental health services of the Borough. As with
all these facilities physically disabled persons were also accepted. Another
combined hospital and local authority day hospital and day mental health
centre was opened in a specially adapted part of the former Council offices in
Purley. Although not purpose built to th*» standard of Rees House, these are
most satisfactory premises and the unit provides excellent facilities for the
former Coulsdon and Purley area. The premises of the similar Centre in
Thornton Heath were maintained temporarily by the Corporation alone as a
mental health day centre accepting persons not in need of medical or nursing