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57
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
Establishment
Principal Medical Officer

The development of comprehensive community services for the
mentally disordered continued during the year 1969. Work on the erection
of a purpose built adult training centre continued and reached practical
completion stage in November. In February work started on major
stuctural alterations to the Day Centre for the Elderly Mentally 111 and
also building work commenced on the erection of a new purpose built
Day Centre for the Younger Mentally 111. Both these projects reached
practical completion stage in November. It is proposed to open the Adult
Training Centre and the Day Centre for the Younger Mentally 111 for the
reception of suitable persons early in January, 1970.
The number of referrals from all sources during 1969 totalled 873
(see table IV). The number of patients actually under care at the end of
the year was 586 (213 men and 373 women)—(see table 1). Of these 5
(1 man and 4 women) were addicted to drugs, 2 of whom are registered as
being heroin addicts. A total of 10 (8 men and 2 women) were suffering
from alcoholism. Table III gives details of the number of cases dealt with
by the social workers during the year.
The mental welfare officers, in addition to their statutory duties
under the Mental Health Act, and arranging informal admissions to
hospital, also pay supportive visits to those discharged from hospital and
help patients to re-adjust to life in the community. To this end close
collaboration is maintained with the local catchment hospital, general
practitioners, the Department of Health and Social Security, the Department
of Employment and Productivity, and also all other social work
agencies. A twenty-four hour service is maintained at all times and the
officers "on call" out of office hours, including weekends and bank
holidays, can be contacted via the duty telephonist at Harrow Hospital.
The psychiatric out-patient clinic continues to be held on Thursday
afternoons at this Authority's Caryl Thomas Clinic, Headstone Drive,
Wealdstone, in association with Shenley and Harrow Hospital and at
which a psychiatrist and his team of staff from Shenley Hospital attend,
as do mental welfare officers from this Authority.