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Social Workers
The establishment consists of a Chief Mental Welfare Officer, a Deputy Chief Mental Welfare Officer,
two Senior Mental Welfare Officers and six Mental Welfare Officers.
During the year there was a good deal of staff movement. Mr. E. Inglis retired owing to ill-health
and was succeeded as Deputy Chief Mental Welfare Officer by Miss B. Johnson, who is a qualified
psychiatric social worker. One of the mental welfare officers was seconded for training for two years in
order to qualify for the certificate in social work. Two others left the service of the Borough also to
undertake further training in social work.
Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association Day Centre
The Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association in co-operation with the Mental Health Section
have set up a day centre for psychiatric patients in Tottenham. This has proved to be a very successful
project, providing not only relief from isolation for selected patients but also a rehabilitative climate
through which patients are returning to normal employment. The P.R.A. have been pioneering work of
this kind since the introduction of the Mental Health Act 1959, and are attracting national and international
interest through their success in a particularly difficult area of social work. Whilst it is a statutory
responsibility to provide community care for the mentally ill, it requires psychiatric and sociological
skills. This link with the Association helps Haringey to maintain its high quality service in line with
progressive thinking.
The day centre, using specialised techniques known as Groupwork is providing a work setting
through which a number of chronic sick patients have been helped back to full-time employment. As a
result of the most satisfactory co-operation existing between the mental hospitals and voluntary
organisations it is envisaged that development of this kind of work will enable Haringey to offer the
community an exceptionally fine community care programme.
Mental Health Social Work
Mental welfare officers attend hospital staff and patient group meetings. Each local hospital to
which we send patients has a mental welfare officer representative (as also do the mentally subnormal
services)attending regularly, who acts as a liaison with the Borough and who provides the co-ordinating
link with the hospital service; in addition, the mental welfare officers, where necessary, join the consultant
psychiatrists in domiciliary visitation. Complete access to hospital in-patients is granted in all cases
so that the necessary links are maintained for continuity of care in the relationship between patient and
social worker. Regularcaseconferences are held in the hospitals which are attended by the hospital
doctors, nurses and social workers and the Borough's mental welfare officers. In addition, the social
workers of the neighbouring hospitals and mental welfare officers of the Boroughs of Enfield and Haringey
maintain close liaison by regularly meeting to discuss cases of interest and mutual social work problems.
The facilities of our psychiatric social clubs enhance the rehabilitative service. Next year
another psychiatric social club will be formed at the Lutheran Church Hall, Tottenham, N.15. This will
be in conjunction with the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association and the mental welfare officers, and
various kinds of group therapeutic and social activities will be undertaken.
The Oakleaf Psychiatric Social Club continues to increase in membership, the number now stands at
55 and during the past year a wide range of social activities have been successfully arranged by the
committee and have been well supported by the members. We are indebted to Ferme Park Baptist Church
for their help.
During the year, various colleges have sent students to the mental health section to gain insight
into aspects of mental healthcare and prevention and to study the services provided -among them medical
students, psychiatric social work students, social work students, health visitors and student psychiatric
nurses, and trainee probation officers.
There is a growing awareness in the community at large of what mental illness means. The importance
of early recognition, prompt referral and treatment plus follow-up cannot be over-emphasised. Suitable
rehabilitative measures contribute to restitution of social competence and provide social support and
increased social toleration and understanding, thus relieving some of the burdens of the family doctors
in relation to their patients' mental health problems.
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