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Welfare Foods: Proprietary welfare foods are available to mothers attending
infant welfare clinics and, in addition, Ministry of Health welfare foods, i.e.,
Cod Liver Oil, National Dried Milk, Orange Juice, Vitamin A & D Tablets
are issued. The latter commodities are also available at the W.V.S. Centre,
308, Regents Park Road, N.3, and the Centre is open for this service from
10 a.m. to 12 noon and 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Mondays to Fridays.
Further information regarding these services may be obtained from the Area
Medical Officer, Area Health Office, Town Hall, Hendon, N.W.4. (HENdon 8282).
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
The Borough of Finchley forms part of the EAST CENTRAL DIVISION for
Mental Health Services in the Middlesex County Council.
Divisional Office: 2, Maryland Road, Wood Green, N.22. (Tel.: BOWes Park
4281).
Senior Medical Officer: Dr. R. C. Greenberg.
Divisional Mental Welfare Officer: Mr. W. J. Ward.
Mental Welfare Officers: Mr. E. Inglis; Miss M. Lay; Mr. C. Carr; Miss
J. E. Maclean.
Mental Health Social Worker: Miss C. M. Coups.
Psychiatric Social Workers: Mrs. J. I. Jansen; Miss E. Arkinstall.
The mental health social worker makes regular visits to the homes of all the
sub-normal and severely sub-normal females and males up to the age of ten years and
advises on all aspects of the patient's well being and employment in appropriate cases.
She submits written reports on her visits so that where necessary the County Medical
Officer may take appropriate action such as arranging admission to psychiatric hospitals
either on a temporary or permanent basis. Such temporary admissions, of up to eight
weeks, are arranged to meet acute domestic difficulties or ill health of mother. The
mental welfare officers deal similarly with the sub-normal and severely sub-normal
males over the age of ten years.
The main duty of the mental welfare officers is the care and in part the after-care
of those persons suffering from mental illness including dealing with those requiring
compulsory detention in psychiatric hospitals under the Mental Health Act, 1959.
Both the mental welfare officers and the mental health social workers transport
patients in their cars to and from the psychiatric hospitals.
The psychiatric social workers are largely concerned with the after-care and
rehabilitation of persons discharged after undergoing treatment either in hospitals or at
out-patient clinics but also deal with a similar type of case who may not have had to
enter a psychiatric hospital and in cases referred from the National Assistance Board
because of chronic unemployment.
As regards the general practitioners, they receive via the Middlesex Executive
Council, a schedule setting out the information given above and also the procedure
under which they may obtain the services of a mental welfare officer outside normal
office hours.
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