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60
Psychiatric Day Centre and Social Centre
Premises
During the year a short lease was obtained of a house at
3 Gloucester Road, Kingston upon Thames for use as a combined day centre
and social centre. The premises are due for redevelopment early in
1969, by which time it is hoped to find more permanent accommodation.
The present short life building, in addition to meeting immediate needs,
is providing valuable experience of the kind of facilities needed for a
long term centre.
The building was in poor decorative condition, and redecoration
was undertaken by voluntary working parties of club members and friends
assisted by members of a voluntary action group attached to Toe H. I
would like to thank these members and voluntary workers for the time
and hard work they put in. These evening and weekend working parties
were supervised by the social work staff in their own time and outside
normal duties.
Day Centre
The day centre was opened on 30th October 1967 with a staff of
two, a supervisor, who is a qualified occupational therapist, and an
assistant supervisor.
It is intended to accommodate about 20 persons on a full time
basis each day. Facilities are available for differing activities
including occupational and relation therapy as well as group activities
and outings. Catering at present is provided by the patients themselves,
with cooking facilities provided. Purchasing and preparing meals forms
a valuable part of the group activities, and meals for patients receiving
Ministry of Social Security supplementary benefit are subsidised.
At the end of the year two patients were attending the centre
full time on a daily basis, and work was in process to introduce others
early in January.
Social Centre
There are two weekly discussion groups each led by a mental
health social worker, which together cater for about sixteen patients,
and there are plans for further groups as soon as the social work staffing
position permits. A small room has been set aside for social worker
interviews with persons attending the centre and for evening interviews
for patients who may be working during the day.