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50
Counselling Clinics.
In April, 1967 Counselling Clinics were inaugurated for parents of children with
impaired mental development. Their purpose is to ensure that each slow developing
child does have the advantage of physical examinations in the same way as the child
attending a child welfare centre and to provide counselling facilities for all parents of
mentally handicapped children including discussion of day to day problems.
The clinics at present held at Kings Road, Richmond, Hospital Bridge Road,
Whitton, and Windham Road, Richmond, are staffed by a senior medical officer, health
visitors, mental health social workers, and are confined to the attendance of children
from birth to 15 years. These clinics have proved to be most successful and parents are
appreciative of the help given and the opportunity of meeting parents with similar
problems.
Number of attendances 115 (of which 5 were first attendances).
Periodic Medical Examination of the Adult Mentally Subnormal.
In 1968 the Council approved of the extension of counselling clinic facilities for
children to cater for parents of mentally handicapped adults.
Sessions are held at Mortlake Clinic and Stanley Road Clinic, Teddington, and
are staffed by a medical officer, clinic nurse and where appropriate mental health social
workers.
These medical examinations have proved to be of considerable benefit to those
adult subnormal persons living at home. Advice and help is given and if treatment is
considered appropriate cases are referred to their family doctors. Some patients in need
of dental treatment are referred to psychiatric hospitals serving the Borough. Many
parents seem to welcome this method of contact with the local authority health department
and are appreciative of the service.
Guardianship and Informal Foster Care.
At the end of 1969 there were two patients under the Guardianship of the Council
(three at the end of 1968). There were also 29 under informal foster care arrangements
in homes or hostels run by voluntary societies and private homes (23 at 31st
December, 1968). In order to avoid formal guardianship procedures, informal placements
are made wherever practicable. The Guardianship Society, Hove, is most helpful
in assisting in the placement of patients in suitable homes.
Admissions to Hospital.
The Borough is in the catchment area of Normansfield Hospital, Teddington,
which serves the districts of Twickenham, Teddington, Hampton and Hampton Wick;
Botleys Park Hospital, Chertsey, Queen Mary's Hospital, Carshalton, and St. Ebba's
Hospital, Epsom, which cover the districts of Richmond and Barnes. The majority of
patients from the Richmond and Barnes area are admitted to Botleys Park Hospital.
Younger children are admitted to Queen Mary's Hospital, Carshalton.
The following
table shows the number of admissions which have taken place from 1st January, 1969
to the 31st December, 1969, all of which were on an informal basis:—