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In 1965, 1,264 families were helped as compared with 1,106 in 1966. The
reduction in the number of cases helped has mainly been due to the fact that it has
been necessary to provide additional help for many aged and chronic sick patients in
the borough.
The recruitment of home helps showed some improvement at the end of the year
(55.4 in 1965) (60.3 in 1966), but the Home Help Service although working to
capacity, continued to have difficulties in meeting all requests for assistance. Generally
speaking cases in the priority classes such as acute emergencies, domiciliary confinements
and the tuberculous were given some assistance, but in many instances more assistance
than that given was indicated.
Hourly payment is made to home helps in accordance with nationally negotiated
rates of pay. Additional remuneration is given for work in dirty homes and certain
infectious diseases.
"Dirty cases". Dirty homes do present a considerable problem and the persons
concerned are very often difficult to help because of their reluctance to allow anyone
inside their homes. Once entry has been gained the Home Help Organiser and the
Public Health Inspectors co-operate to clear the premises of rubbish, etc. and render
the premises suitablq for the home help to commence duty. It has been found appropriate
to use two home helps in each dirty home and the whole operation is closely
supervised by the Home Help Organiser. Brooms, mops, soap powders and disinfectant
are made available. This is particularly dirty work and as previously stated home helps
who will do this work are paid an extra allowance.
Good Neighbour Service.
A good neighbour scheme is operated to supplement the home help service thus
saving wastage of valuable home help time. Good neighbours help the aged and
chronic sick by doing daily chores such as shopping, cooking, seeing to fires or other
forms of heating and various other necessary daily duties. The good neighbours are
paid from 10/- to £2. per week according to the extent of the duties allocated by the
Home Help Organiser.
Good neighbour cases given help during 1966 were as follows:—
78 (including 22 cases brought forward from 1965).
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
Although active consideration was given during the year to the provision of a
comprehensive mental health service in the Borough the need to rely on voluntary
societies and other local authorities for the placement of the mentally disordered in
training establishments and residential accommodation continued. Provision has been
made in the Council's Plan for The Development of the Health and Welfare Services
Over the Next Ten Years (1966-76) for the provision of establishments for the
mentally disordered, but it was quite evident that the immediate need was for daily
training facilities for the mentally subnormal and the provision of a day centre for the
elderly mentally ill. Negotiations were started with the Hounslow, Twickenham and
District Society for Mentally Handicapped Children for the possible use of Harle
House, Feltham, as a temporary junior training centre. Harle House would be particularly
suited for use as a training centre of this nature — it was purpose-built by the
Society as a centre for mentally handicapped children and their parents. It is hoped
that negotiations for this project will not be too prolonged to enable the proposed
training centre to open in the latter part of 1967.
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