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further residential homes. The next home at St. Paul's Cray is
unlikely to be ready for occupation until 1970. Present evidence
suggests that provision is falling well behind demand. On the 31st
March, 1967, the social workers were in contact with 68 elderly
people who required residential accommodation urgently. Of
these, 24 were in hospital. Even with an extension of supporting
community services, some drastic revision of the capital programme
seems inevitable. But even if the Ministry of Health could be
pressed into additional loan sanctions over the next few years, there
is an acute problem of acquiring suitable sites.
13. Reference was made in the Report for 1965/66 to the decision
of the Welfare Services Sub-Committee to allow persons occupying
27 single bedrooms and one double bedroom at Manor Fields,
Orpington, to bring in their own furniture. An evaluation of this
experiment was made in March, 1967, and the results featured
prominently in the national professional journals. Where residents
brought some of their own furniture they appeared to derive a great
deal of benefit and pleasure from being able to maintain a corner
of their own. They have been delighted to show their rooms to
those who have visited the home as a result of the interest generated
by this pilot scheme. These have included the former Chairman of
the National Old People's Welfare Council, several Chief Welfare
Officers from other authorities, and visitors from France, Canada,
Egypt and Portugal. This principle of enabling residents to bring
in their own furniture will be applied in the case of the new home
to be built at St. Paul's Cray. This Home will also incorporate
additional provision for day care services.
Staffing in Residential Homes
14. The staff of the residential homes are to be congratulated upon
the standards of care provided. Equally important is the awareness
of matrons and their assistants of the need to preserve as much
individual independence as possible in what tends to be, by its
very nature, a dependent environment. Many ideas involving residents
in decision-making processes about matters affecting their
home have been put into effect. Acute staffing problems, especially
the shortage of assistant matrons, has not deterred those responsible
from ensuring that residents are enabled to live as effectively as
their disabilities permit.
15. A review of the staffing of the residential homes was completed
in August. 1966. In an attempt to relieve supervisory staff of the
necessity of working excessive hours, additional assistant matrons
on a non-resident basis were approved at the larger homes.
Authority was also obtained for the engagement of one relief
assistant matron. The establishment of attendant, clerical, cooking
and domestic staff was also revised. Difficulty continued to be
experienced, however, in recruitment.