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mentally subnormal patients needing hospital care. Children are referred
either to Botleys Park Hospital or to Queen Mary's Hospital for Children,
Carshalton, which also has provision for children with psyohiatric
problems or multiple handicaps. Both hospitals admit patients for short
periods to give relief to their families. Patients are also seen at
outpatient clinics for advice regarding their educational and other
needs, and this service is of particular value to the authority in
determining the best educational provision for children of borderline
intelligence, or rith multiple problems.
Kingston Training Centre
Kingston Training Centre is a purpose built combined centre,
consisting of a special care unit for severely handicapped children, a
junior training centre for children up to sixteen years of age, and an
adult centre and workshop for trainees over the age of sixteen.
During the year extensions were made to the special care unit
and adult workshops which from January 1968 will provide an additional
23 places. These extensions are largely needed to relieve existing
overcrowding. At the end of 1967, 105 trainees were in attendance.
Pressure on adult places in particular will remain heavy until completion
of the new adult workshop planned for erection at Blagdon Road, New Maiden.
The shortage of places has also been relieved by the opening of
a new junior centre in the London Borough of Richmond, to which 7 children
living in that area have been transferred. This reduces the number of
places allocated to trainees from Richmond from 25 to 18 who are mainly
adults. In addition, during the year one trainee attended the centre
from the London Borough of Merton, and one severely handioapped Kingston
child attended a centre attaohed to a spastic unit.
Special Care Unit
Ten severely subnormal children requiring constant nursing care
attended the unit during 1967. Nursing care was provided by a staff of
two. From 18th January 1968 it will be possible to accommodate one
additional member of staff and a daily attendance of 15.
The unit is designed to meet the needs of severely handicapped
children under the age of 16. It is hoped that in the future day
hospital facilities will be provided by the Regional Hospital Board for
patients over the age of 16.