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Contact is maintained with patients admitted to hospital for treatment. The
mental welfare officers endeavour to establish an unbroken relationship with the
patient. Where necessary, advice and assistance are given to the patient's family
whilst he is in hospital. During the year the number of patients referred for supportive
after-care was 266.
The number of home visits to mentally ill patients totalled 5,179 and there
were 655 office interviews.
Hospital Admissions
Every effort is made to arrange the admission of patients to hospital informally.
This year, 111 patients were admitted informally and 108 were compulsorily
removed to hospital under Part IV of the Mental Health Act, 1959, by the mental
welfare officers.
During the year, all the mental welfare officers were approved by the London
Borough of Barnet to facilitate dealing with Enfield patients at Friern Hospital
which is within the administrative area of Barnet.
Part IV of the Mental Health Act provides for the compulsory admission of
patients to hospital and also their placement under guardianship. The principal
feature of this procedure is that application is made by the nearest relative or a
mental welfare officer, and is supported by a medical recommendation.
Admission for observation in emergency (for up to 72 hours) requires one
medical certificate. For admission for observation or for treatment other than in
emergency, two medical certificates are required. If possible, one of these should
be given by a doctor approved by the local health authority as having specialist
knowledge of the type of mental disorder from which the patient is suffering.
In approving medical practitioners for this purpose under Section 28 of the
Mental Health Act, local health authorities are required to consult not less than
two members of the local advisory panel for the area as to the experience of the
doctor concerned, and shall not approve the application for such purposes unless
two doctors of the panel so consulted are satisfied that he possesses such special
experience. The local advisory panel consists of consultant psychiatrists appointed
by the North East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board.
During the year, two medical practitioners were approved by the council for
this purpose and six were listed in the borough as having been so approved at the
end of the year.
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