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mental illness, but recourse to voluntary homes and hostels for this class of patient
continues to be necessary. The Council has, as yet, no home or hostel for the
mentally subnormal—for which there is an increasing need—but considerable
progress has been made towards the provision of hostel accommodation for children
and adults. Indeed, the construction of a 20-place hostel for mentally subnormal
children will be completed in 1970.
At the end of the year, the total of all classes of the mentally disordered maintained
in residential accommodation, whether local authority hostels, homes run by
voluntary associations or in private households, was 82.
MENTAL ILLNESS
The London Borough of Enfield is within the catchment area of Claybury and
Friern Hospitals, to which patients requiring hospital treatment for mental disorder
are admitted. The North Middlesex Hospital provides psychiatric beds in a modern
unit to which suitable patients are admitted for short-term observation and treatment.
Out-patient clinics are held at North Middlesex, Chase Farm, Highlands and
War Memorial Hospitals.
A 24-hour mental health community service is provided throughout the year by
the Council.
The demand for services continues to increase as the facilities provided become
better known, but expansion of the community care service for the mentally disordered
was limited during the year by staff shortage. The department has established close
liaison with the other social work departments and with the consultants at the local
hospitals.
Domiciliary Service
Persons who are, or who have been, suffering from mental disorder are referred
from a number of sources to the Health Department for care and support in their
own homes. The majority of cases are referred by general practitioners who recognise
the early symptoms of emotional and psychiatric disorders. Psychiatric help and
advice given by the mental welfare officers, coupled if necessary with out-patient
psychiatric treatment, can enable many patients to remain in the community without
recourse to hospital admission. It is desirable for a social history to be provided by
a mental welfare officer on a patient attending an out-patient clinic for the first time.
For this purpose an arrangement exists with the local hospitals for the referral of
patients to the mental welfare officer. During the year this service was restricted by
shortage of staff, but 23 social histories were supplied on request. In addition, 229
social reports were supplied to Friern and Claybury Hospitals on new admissions.
The demand for psycho-geriatric admission for elderly confused patients
remained high and domiciliary support was provided for patients and their families
during the waiting period.
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