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Student Health Service
Preliminary discussions have taken place with the
staff of the Education Department about the inauguration
of a student health service at the two further
education establishments in the Borough. It is hoped
to commence this service in 1966.
Medical Examination of Staff
The Department of Health is responsible for carrying
out the medical examination and assessment of
staff as required by heads of departments and others.
Arrangements are also made for the medical examination
of candidates for admission to teacher training
colleges and for first teaching appointments.
Examinations are made on a reciprocal basis of
staff appointed by other local authorities.
During the year the following examinations and
assessments were made—
Referred for assessment prior to appointment—
Medically examined before assessment 73
Medically assessed without medical examination 1,346
Left before completion of medical assessment 71
Medical examination of existing staff for
purposes of admission to the superannuation
scheme, sickness pay scheme or continued fitness
for employment 80
Medical examination for first teaching
appointments 60
Medical examination of other local authority staff 11
Medical examination of student teachers 175
The possibility of extending the above service into
a viable occupational health service for the whole
staff of the borough is under active consideration.
Mental Health
Until 1st April 1965 all the mental health services
throughout the County of Middlesex were administered
by the County Health Department. On this
date the complete responsibility was transferred to
the individual boroughs.
The Borough of Hounslow was fortunate in
inheriting relatively well developed facilities and the
foresight of the Borough Council has enabled the
immediate recruitment of an adequate number of
experienced officers to undertake the necessary mental
health social work. The mental health service, however,
consists of more than men and material and
good progress has been made in general integration.
Few of the officers, either field or administrative, had
ever before worked together and I am happy to report
that great progress has been made in forming an
efficient and happy team. Clearly it must take time
before new innovations develop.
On the mental illness side a strong relationship is
developing between the principal catchment hospital,
Springfield, and the mental welfare officers working in
the community. The borough has agreed to appoint a
consultant psychiatrist from the hospital for two
sessions a week and this will lead to a still closer
relationship.
Conferences have been held with the superintendent
of Leavesden Hospital, the catchment psychiatric
hospital for subnormality, with whom close cooperation
has been established.
Springfield hospital is approximately 15 miles from
Hounslow and Leavesden more than 25 miles which
factor clearly handicaps close liaison. The medical
staff at Springfield, however, hold outpatients sessions
at the West Middlesex Day Hospital which provides a
closer link. It is hoped that Leavesden may be able to
hold outpatients sessions within the borough in the
not too distant future.
St Bernard's Hospital serves as the catchment
hospital for mental illness for a very small part of the
borough but is much nearer than either of the other
hospitals.
Mental Subnormality
Hounslow inherited about 380 subnormal people
from the community supervision role of Middlesex
County Council. All grades of mental defect are to be
found in this number, including a substantial proportion
of educationally subnormal school-leavers, who
require special help and guidance. Eighty are attending
adult training centres, 61 are pupils at junior training
schools, 25 have been placed in special care units, and
two are in a weekly boarding unit. The remainder are
either too young or too old to attend a centre, are in
normal employment, temporarily unemployed or
unemployable and at home or undergoing rehabilitative
training with the Ministry of Labour.
The bulk of the department's social work with the
mentally subnormal has been in the hands of one
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