View report page

53
During 1965 the total number of patients who attended the centre
from Harrow was 19 and at the end of the year the number of patients
from Harrow actually in attendance there was six.
Psychiatric Therapeutic Social Club.—This club was formed in
July 1965, and meets every Wednesday evening in the Games Hall at
the rear of Tanglewood Hostel, and the Council made an initial grant of
£40 towards the cost of equipment. The activities of the club include table
tennis, billiards and snooker, shove half-penny, table skittles and dancing.
The aim of the club is to provide social activities for patients discharged
from hospital and for those people within the community whose
needs can be met by such a club, and is particularly beneficial to those living
in bed-sitting rooms with no family ties to support them.
Club leadership and supervision is provided by the mental health
staff.
Community Care—Mentally Subnormal
With the support of a Principal Medical Officer, social workers and
other services, many subnormal and severely subnormal patients of all
ages are able to live in the community. Every assistance is also given to
relatives with any problems they may have concerning the patients.
Table II gives details of the number of cases dealt with by the social
workers from 1st April to 31st December 1965. The total number of subnormal
and severely subnormal patients under community care at the
end of the year was 325.
Guardianship.—By placing patients under guardianship orders, local
authorities are empowered to place and maintain patients in the community.
This type of care is useful when for some reason patients are unable
to live at home, for it enables them to five in a normal family environment.
However, since the coming into effect of the Mental Health Act,
1959, these statutory powers are seldom used as it is preferable to place
such patients under Informal Foster Care whenever possible.This Authority
only had one such case residing within the Borough at 1st April 1965,
and this was discharged from Guardianship in August 1965, and re-classified
as Informal Foster Care.
Informal Foster Care.—In order to avoid formal guardianship
procedures, informal placements are made wherever practicable, although
too few private foster homes are available. At the end of 1965 there were
24 cases under such care in homes or hostels run by voluntary organisations
such as the Brighton Guardianship Society, or placed in private foster
homes. Of these, four are placed in foster homes within the Borough.
Admissions to Hospitals.—During 1965, five patients were admitted
to hospitals for the subnormal. Of these, four were admitted informally
and one under Section 60 of the Mental Health Act 1959.