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59
Towards the end of the year, advice was received that a public
enquiry would be held early in 1968 regarding the compulsory purchase
order necessary to acquire certain land required for the site of the proposed
Day Centre for the Younger Mentally 111 which this Authority wish to
erect at the rear of 76 Marlborough Hill, Wealdstone, and to which
various objections had been raised by local residents.
Mental Nursing Homes—There is one mental nursing home
within the Borough which is registered with this Authority and accommodates
47 patients. This home has been visited during the year and found to
be satisfactory.
Community Care—Mentally Subnormal
The total number of subnormal and severely subnormal patients
under community care at the end of the year was 365 (172 females and
193 males (see Table II)). The number of cases referred for care during
the year was 60 (see Table IV).
Table III gives details of the number of cases dealt with by the
social workers during the year.
Close liaison continues to be maintained with the maternity and child
welfare services and all cases referred to the department under 5 years of
age are still visited by the health visitors after initial visits by the Principal
Medical Officer and a mental health social worker. Many subnormal and
severely subnormal patients are able to reside in the community provided
they and their relatives receive every assistance and they are encouraged
to discuss whatever problems they may have with the social workers who
visit them.
School leavers and young adults are helped to obtain and maintain
jobs in the community to help them fully to develop their capabilities. The
attitude of both employers and employees is naturally very important but
with sympathy and understanding it is possible for subnormals to undertake
much wider fields of activities than is sometimes supposed.
Guardianship—Informal Foster Care—Guardianship orders
provide powers of control over a patient's place of residence and everyday
life, either for the patient's welfare or for the protection of others. This
Authority, however, has no patients placed under such orders as it is
preferable to avoid formal procedures and, therefore, informal placements
are made whenever possible. Accordingly during 1968, 4 patients were
placed under informal foster care, bringing the total number of cases
under such care to 37. Of these, 4 were placed in private homes within
the Borough, 10 in private homes via the Brighton Guardianship Society,
a voluntary society, and the remainder in various homes throughout the
country.