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Adult Training Centres
Acton Lodge Adult Training Centre London Road
Brentford
There has been no major change in policy at
Acton Lodge but with the replacement of the
old building, which it is hoped will be completed
in 1968, a greater range of activity will be
possible. During 1966 the trainees started the
internal redecoration of the new building and the
part so far completed has shown a very high
standard of craftsmanship for which both staff
and trainees are congratulated.
As forecast in my last report a part-time
teacher started in June 1966 to give lessons to
trainees from both Acton Lodge and Brentford
Adult Training Centres. She has had no previous
experience in this particular field but has made
great strides, particularly in social training. She
has been helped in her selection of trainees and of
teaching materials by the Senior Educational
Psychologist for Special Services.
The 'club nights' continue once every fortnight
and I am indebted to various voluntary organizations
that help to provide entertainments for the
trainees on these very successful social occasions.
I should like to express my gratitude to the staff
who voluntarily give their time and support at the
end of a long day.
Brentford Adult Training Centre Commerce Road
Brentford
This centre continues to operate successfully
within a factory. There has been a slight increase
in the number of trainees attending and two have
become employees of this particular factory.
Visitors to Junior Training Schools and Adult
Training Centres
There has continued to be a number of visitors
from members of a large range of disciplines to
all the establishments and a number of students
has been seconded to the schools for varying
periods mainly from Chiswick Polytechnic.
Holiday Camps for the Mentally Subnormal Adults
The department organized two parties to St
Mary's Bay Holiday Centre, Romney Marsh, one
consisting of 94 women and the other of 99 men
all of whom attend training centres within
Middlesex.
Children
Three children were sent on a holiday organized
by the Borough of Hillingdon at Park Place
School, Henley and several other children attended
the camp organized by the National Society
for Handicapped Children at Sunbury Court.
All of these projects were very successful and I
am indebted to the staff, to the voluntary organizations
that enabled young people to help in a
voluntary capacity in the running of the camps
and to various branches of the Society for
Mentally Handicapped Children in Middlesex
who contributed a total of £85 for extras and
entertainment.
Short Term Care
During 1966 arrangements were made for 33
severely subnormal patients, mostly children,
to have a total of 36 periods of short term care
varying between two and eight weeks. Seventeen
of these were awaiting permanent admission to
hospital but short term care became necessary
either because of crises at home or to give the
families some respite from the constant care of
difficult patients.
Of the 36 periods of short term care arranged,
34 were accommodated in National Health
Service Hospitals, mainly Leavesden Hospital,
1 in Pirates Spring Holiday Home run by the
National Society for Mentally Handicapped
Children and 1 was placed in a private home.
Mental Illness
This has been a year of considerable change,
giving rise to an improved service to patients,
family doctors and of the facilities for mental
health social work.
At the beginning of the year, there was a complete
reorganization at Springfield the catchment
hospital which serves the greater portion of
the borough's population and also four other
London boroughs. The internal arrangements
have now been altered to enable virtually, each of
the boroughs to have their own section within
the hospital with its own medical team headed by
a consultant psychiatrist. Dr Herridge was
appointed to the hospital as the consultant
responsible for the Hounslow area.
In June 1966 Dr Herridge was also appointed
for two sessions each week as consultant psychia-
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