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58
At the end of the year, the total number of Harrow patients still in
attendance there was 3.
In addition, one patient, resident in a Surrey County Council Welfare
Home, was admitted to that authority's day centre at Epsom in April, and
was still in attendance there at the end of the year.
Boarding Out Scheme—Under this scheme suitable lodgings are
found in the community for those mentally disordered persons whom it is
felt are capable of fending for themselves provided adequate social work
support is given. The Authority guarantee rents up to £6 6s. Od. per week
and, in the event of a patient having to return to hospital for a period of
treatment, provided the landlady concerned is willing to accommodate the
patient on discharge from hospital, the Authority will also pay a retaining
fee of up to 50% of the rent for the period involved.
At the end of 1968 there was 1 patient placed in such accommodation.
Mental Nursing Homes—There is only one registered mental
nursing home within the Borough which accommodates 47 patients. This
was visited at periodic intervals during the year and found to be satisfactory.
Community Care—Mentally Subnormal
With the support of the Authority's services which are provided under
Section 28 of the National Health Services Act, 1946, and the Mental
Health Act, 1959, many subnormal and severely subnormal patients are
able to live in the community. Assistance is also given wherever possible
to the relatives with any problems they may have concerning the patients.
All new referrals are seen initially by the Principal Medical Officer
after which arrangements are made for one of the mental health social
workers to visit the relatives at regular intervals, with the exception of
those patients under five years of age, who continue to be visited by one of
the health visitors.
The total number of subnormal and severely subnormal patients under
community care at the end of the year was 401 (187 females and 214 males
—see Table II). The number of cases referred for care during 1968 was
76 (See Table IV).
Table III gives details of the number of cases dealt with by the social
workers during the year.
Guardianship—Informal Foster Care—This Authority has no
patients placed under guardianship although such orders give 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, it has been found preferable
to make placements informally as far as possible. Accordingly, 5 patients