London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
View report page
Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Kingston upon Thames 1967
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Kingston-upon-Thames]
This page requires JavaScript
58
MENTAL ILLNESS
Referrals
The total number of mentally ill patients referred for
assistance in 1967 was 588 as against 496 in 1966. Most of the increase
resulted from a rapid growth in the number of patients referred
directly by family doctors. These referrals are mainly for oasework
advice and consultation, and continued social work; referrals with a
view to hospital admission now account for less than a quarter of the
total. An increasing volume of work in outpatient clinics produced
a rise in the number of patients referred from this source, but there
was a fall in the number first referred at the time of discharge from
hospital, reflecting the fact that an increasing number of short stay
hospital patients are already known to the mental health social workers.
The number of patients from other sources remained fairly stable; these
consist mainly of referrals from other social service agencies, but
inolude also a number of direct requests for help by patients and their
families.
Mentally 111 Persons Referred to the Local Health Authority
| Referred by | 1966 | 1967 |
|---|---|---|
| General Practitioners | 100 | 183 |
| Hospitals, on discharge from inpatient treatment | 125 | 98 |
| Hospitals after or during outpatient or day treatment | 144 | 181 |
| Other (e.g. health visitors, police, relatives, self-referred) | 127 | 126 |
| Totals | 496 | 588 |
Admissions
During 1967 responsibility for admission of psychiatric patients
from the borough was shared between Brookwood Hospital, covering the
Surbiton and Chessington areas, and Long Grove Hospital, covering the
remainder of the borough. Mental health social workers act in liaison