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Psychiatric
Rehabilitation
Association
Mr. John Wilder, Director of the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, writes:-
The day centre, grant aid,ed by the Borough, is based on group work lines, thus involving
and evolving patients' initiative and self-help. Whilst economy is not the prime motive for these
methods, they have nevertheless enabled the centre to operate at a cost of 10/- per trainee day.
More important, the centre has done much to prevent patients from relapsing, and gave most of
them a lessening of ennui and an increased interest in life.
The centre commenced its activities in a Leytonstone Church Hall, which premises were
replaced during 1969 by the temporary use of the Civil Defence Centre in Apsley Road. The
change to brighter premises brought with it, however, the disadvantage of having to share
accommodation, thereby reducing work potential to simple tasks which could be packed away
each day. The alternative premises now envisaged by the Council will solve this problem and
enable P.R.A. to instal necessary equipment..
No. of patients referred 12 months ending December 1969
Home address: E.10 22
E.11 2
E.4 8
E.I7 19
Others 10
61 total = 5,620 attendances
Average daily attendance 26 patients
Movement of patients
1 moved away
3 transferred to P.R.A. Industrial Education Unit
8 returned to work
2 transferred to other P.R.A. Centres
2 returned to hospital
45 on register 31st December 1969
61 total
We wish to thank the Council, Medical Officer of Health and his staff for their constant
advice and help.
SCHOOL HEALTH SERVICE
This service has firm foundations and a well established machine, which is just as well
for it has had insufficient direction from senior staff, last year Dr. Richards, our Senior
Medical Officer for Child Health, having been off ill for most of the year and at the time of
writing is still off. My deputy and I have had more than enough trouble coping with the reorganisation
of the department and severe shortages on the social work side with the strains
which these set up. On top of this came the reductions in the estimates after the financial
year had begun. The fact that the Committee have had no occasion during the year to review
any features of this service (except insofar as the Audiology Clinic relates to it) results from
the above facts and not from any lack of work, a fact that statistics at the end of this book will
support. Reports on the School Dental Service and Audiology Clinic are given below.
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