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70
years because of the lack of suitable accommodation, mainly ground
floor beds, and the high incidence of emergency admissions of
persons who had only recently, or not previously, applied. On
several occasions there have been no vacancies in the Council's
homes, notwithstanding extra beds being put up (resulting in further
overcrowding), and emergencies have only been met with the
assistance of other welfare authorities.
Holiday Admissions
It has, for some years, been the practice of welfare
authorities to allocate a proportion of vacancies for short-term
admissions to enable relatives who are caring for aged persons
within their own homes to take a holiday themselves. In the year
under review 11 such admissions were made. There will be
considerable difficulty over the allocation of vacancies for this
purpose during the coming year, in view of the pressure on beds, but
every effort will be made to satisfy at least the most urgent demands.
The most difficult aspect of this service is the impossibility of
guaranteeing vacancies in advance to enable relatives to book holidays.
Casual vacancies at short notice can rarely be used to advantage for
this purpose.
New Accommodation
In an effort to overcome the immediate shortage of
accommodation, the Health and Welfare Committee are considering the
purchase of a privately run home for old people outside the borough.
This home, equipped for 23 residents, has been inspected by the
Regional Welfare Officer of the Ministry of Health, who is prepared
to recommend loan sanction, and if negotiations are satisfactorily
concluded, the establishment could be brought into use with minimal
delay and would go some way towards relieving the more immediate
shortage of accommodation.
Approval has also been given by the Ministry for the
erection of a new purpose-built home for 50 residents in the grounds
of Coombe Oak, Warren Road, Kingston Hill. It is also proposed to
install a "Shepherd" lift to the first floor at Coombe Oak and
Fairlawn to enable the beds on these floors to be used by the more
infirm type of resident.
Provision has been made in the Council's capital estimates
for 1966/67 for the projects enumerated above, but it is not
anticipated that the new building at Coombe Oak will be available
before 1968 at the earliest. In addition provision was made in
Revenue Estimates for the improvement as far as possible of existing
accommodation.