View report page

19. MENTAL HEALTH
The Mental Health Services of the Borough are divided into those for the mentally
sub-normal and those for the mentally ill. The legislation which covers these
services is the 1959 Mental Health Act, the aim of which was to move the emphasis
from hospital care towards care in the community, and to provide hospital treatment
when required on a voluntary basis whenever possible. There has been, therefore,
in the last year both a National re-orientation and a local re-organization in progress
at the same time.
Most health services which passed to the Borough on re-organization had been
administered by the Middlesex County Council on an Area basis and the boundary
of the London Borough of Ealing was coterminous with the County Council Area.
Thus it found itself with all the essential components of a Health Service. The
exception to this rule was in the field of Mental Health which the County Council
organized on a County wide basis, disregarding Area boundaries. On re-organization,
as far as mental health provisions within the Borough were concerned, Ealing
found itself, by chance, among the less favoured. Compensation for this in the
form of user rights in establishments in the neighbouring Boroughs has enabled the
services to continue without disruption and these user rights will continue for the
next five years. I consider that, although this is satisfactory in the short term,
planning should be directed towards providing a complete basic service within the
Borough boundary.
SERVICES FOR THE MENTALLY SUB-NORMAL
The main components of a Mental Health Service for the sub-normal are these:—
(1) Social work to give the necessary support for mentally sub-normal
persons living within the community.
(2) A junior training school for children from 3½-16 who are unable to
attend schools run by the Education Department.
(3) An adult training centre for the training of sub-normal persons after
school leaving age.
(4) Hostels to enable sub-normal patients to live in the community.
(5) Voluntary organizations to support the statutory services.
(6) Hospital facilities for those unable to live within the community.
SOCIAL WORK
Sub-normal and severely sub-normal persons may come to the knowledge of the
mental health services in several ways. Some are ascertained under Section 57 of
the Education Act, 1944, as being unable to benefit by education in a normal school.
Others have been ascertained under Section 34 of the Education Act as requiring
special education at a school for the educationally sub-normal, and are placed under
supervision when they leave there at the age of 16. Many others, before formal
ascertainment, are known to the service from their early days.
Every new case which comes to the attention of the service is investigated by the
Principal Medical Officer in the patient's own home, and a recommendation made
as to the best way of caring for the handicapped person in the community. Frequent
home visits are made by the mental health social workers with the object of supporting
the family to the maximum extent. This enables many patients, who would not
44