London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Hillingdon 1967
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Hillingdon]
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54 Community Care
MENTAL ILLNESS
During 1967 the staff consisted of:—
The Chief Mental Welfare Officer,
The Deputy Chief Mental Welfare Officer,
Five Mental Welfare Officers
The number of cases referred for assistance continues to grow—756 as against 653 in 1966—and
it is becoming increasingly apparent that the establishment will have to be amended if the standard of
support to patients and their families is to be maintained.
It is of interest to note that 105 cases of mental illness were assisted at Heathrow Airport in 1967,
as against 74 in 1966. As previously, the majority arrived in out-of-office hours, thus imposing a heavy
burden on the staff involved.
This is a summary of the cases dealt with by the Mental Welfare Officers:
| Under Age 16 | Aged 16 and over | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Referred by | M | F | M | F | Total |
| General Practitioners | 95 | 137 | 234 | ||
| Hospitals, or discharged from In-Patient treatment | — | — | 54 | 138 | 192 |
| Hospitals, after or during Out-Patient or day treatment | — | — | 19 | 37 | 56 |
| Local Education Authorities | 1 | 1 | — | — | 2 |
| Police Courts | — | — | 38 | 10 | 48 |
| Other Sources | 1 | 3 | 122 | 98 | 224 |
| Total | 2 | 6 | 328 | 420 | 756 |
Work of Mental Welfare Officers
(a) Mental Illness
Visits made by Mental Welfare Officers 2,542
Compulsory Admissions to Psychiatric Hospitals 150
Informal Admissions to Psychiatric Hospitals 91
Office Interviews 111
(b) Mental Subnormality
Visits to those under Borough Community Care 778
Office Interviews 32
The subnormal cases visited by the Mental Welfare Officers are over 16 years of age. The Health
Visitors visit those under 16 years, of which, at the end of the year, there were 117 cases—involving
238 visits, which are, of course, additional to the figures given above.