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TRAINING OF STUDENTS AND OBSERVATION VISITS
During 1966 Health Visitors have given varying amounts of practical training and
experience in social aspects of public health to:-
200 Student Nurses, 10 Nursery Nurses, Several Pupil
Midwives, District Nurses and Social Work Students.
The two Fieldwork Instructors have supervised the practical work of five student Health Visitors.
An integrated community service can only be achieved through teamwork. It was therefore
decided to invite other social workers, including those responsible for the physically handicapped
and the mental welfare services, to a series of discussions based on the television series "The
Social Workers". These programmes described the many aspects of welfare and social work and
served as a common basis for discussing the particular problems encountered in this Borough.
Furthermore, the monthly Social Workers' lunch-time meetings, which are still well supported,
help to strengthen the team spirit which is so essential in providing a good service to the
community.
E.M.Lindsey
Superintendent Health Visitor
Psychiatric Services
MENTALLY ILL ADULTS AND SUB-NORMAL PERSONS
(1) In 1966 the Mental Health Section was able to begin to function more as a social work
service as staff increased. Statistical figures for the year compared to 1965 show that interviews
with patients more than doubled. Although the number of admissions to hospital remained roughly
comparable, the number of preliminary visits to assess the need for hospitalization was substantially
higher. By no means all the referrals from G.P.s were requests for help in hospital
admissions since many were for psychiatric assessment at the emergency clinic held in the
Section's offices by the Senior Registrar of the Claybury admission unit, demonstrating how
hospital admission can be avoided if treatment can be prescribed early enough on an out-patient
basis. Having such psychiatric help so readily available has been of inestimable value to the
mental welfare staff, as well as general practitioners.
The number of requests for after-care rose sharply during the year, hospitals having
tried to avoid overloading the service to ensure that those referred could gain the help they needed.
At the same time, the number of referrals from out-patient clinics for casework help or social
work support continued to increase, showing that the wider preventative functions of the service
are recognised and utilised.
Co-operation with the two psychiatric hospitals serving the Borough has continued to
be good with satisfactory liaison most of the time.
(2)Richmond Fellowship Hostel. Highams Park: The Hostel has been building up nearly to its
full complement over the past year. There are one or two patients waiting; mostly the Hostel
has been used for patients discharged from Claybury Hospital. A further report next year on
the progress of patients who have been to the Hostel will be forthcoming.
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