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considerably with the knowledge by the majority
of general practitioners that Springfield now has
its own hospital unit for the borough's residents,
with Dr Herridge as the consultant who is also
available for domiciliary visits and who also has
follow-up facilities at West Middlesex and
Hounslow Hospitals.
There has been an increasing demand for
Dr Herridge's opinion from general practitioners
and for domiciliary visits particularly to the
elderly. This has obviously decreased the number
of visits of assessment made by the mental health
social workers but, because of the growing
shortage of geriatric beds and, consequently, a
longer waiting period before admission, the
number of supportive visits to patients and their
families has considerably increased. Close liaison
between mental health social workers and other
social services has been necessary in providing
this support.
The Psychiatric Clinic which opened in
Hounslow Hospital during the latter part of last
year is now well known and extensively used
and usually there is a waiting list which is currently
six weeks for new patients and four weeks for
follow-up patients. A mental health social worker
is in attendance at these clinics and a considerable
part of his time is spent making home visits and
preparing social histories prior to the clinics
and following up patients seen at the clinic.
Dr Herridge's sessions at the office are of great
supportive value and have undoubtedly saved the
mental health social workers considerable
anxieties and are helping to increase their
knowledge and skill. The sessions have been used
for tuition, case discussions, general discussions
on all aspects of the mental health services and
occasionally for emergency clinic cases. Staff have
expressed the wish to have more sessions for
tuition if possible with particular emphasis at
present on the problems of drug addiction and
alcoholism.
The number of informal admissions to hospital
arranged by mental health social workers increased
considerably as compared with 1966 and the
number of statutory admissions increased to a
lesser extent. The increase in the total number of
admissions contributed to the larger number of
visits paid by mental health social workers to
mentally ill patients than in the previous year.
Generally the liaison between the mental health
social workers and the staff at St Bernard's
Hospital is becoming closer and requests for
community care after discharge from hospital
increased steadily during the latter half of the
year.
Liaison with general practitioners is steadily
improving and those who have a particular interest
in psychiatry make good use of the services and
many have visited the office to discuss particular
problems relating to their patients.
Fewer long term and more short term residents
were accommodated at the hostel, 24, Wood Lane,
Isleworth, than in the previous year, and the
mental health social workers were involved in a
considerable amount of social work, helping to
settle and contain the little intrigues and disrupting
situations which occurred. In the second half of
the year a social club was formed within the
hostel with the residents forming the committee.
Several of the mental health social workers took
an active part in the formation, attended meetings
and social events both at our hostel and at the
neighbouring Hayes Park Hostel. In the initial
stages this club was greeted with considerable
enthusiasm but ultimately the organising of social
events and the running of the club was left entirely
to the interested mental health social workers,
who tried hard to stimulate interest, with little
success. Several mental health social workers
gave up their evenings and conveyed residents to
and from social evenings at Hayes Park Hostel,
which meant officers eventually getting home at
anything between 12 and 2 am and most
regrettably, towards the end, most residents
tended to expect this service rather than
expressing appreciation.
The Industrial Therapy Organisation (Thames)
Ltd received several mentally ill patients during
1967 for full time training. There appears to be
a need also for an establishment which will
provide interesting, rewarding and not too
repetitive work on a more flexible basis as regards
hours. It is felt that this would stimulate and
encourage those whose mental illness has impaired
their powers of concentration and help them
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