View report page

Appendix
The Placement of a greater number of Mentally III and
Mentally Subnormal Persons in Open Industry. (As distinct
from Adult Training Centres, Sheltered Workshops and
Inudstrial therapy units).
We consider that suitable work is essential to preserve
the morale and to promote the health of the mentally ill,
the educationally subnormal and the mentally subnormal
person. The economic factors and management problems
associated with the employment of these groups of persons
in open industry need to be taken into account.
Industry in the form of small and medium sized factories
and offices, farms, local authority Parks and Engineering
Departments should be explored to provide gainful
employment for a larger number of mentally ill and
mentally subnormal persons than exists at present.
England is a nation of small factories, some 70% of
these factories employ less than 100 persons. Small factory
working groups can often provide a suitable background for
employing one or more mentally ill or subnormal persons.
More factory managers would be agreeable to employ
persons in these categories if:—
1. A Government financial subsidy was given to the
employers.
2. Industrial medical and psychiatric advice on the
placement of these persons was readily available.
3. Surveillance of these employees at work by members
of the occupational health team was carried out in
order to give an necessary support to the patient and
management.
Large employing concerns should set up their own
sheltered workshops. Most of these organisations will have
medical and nursing staff who should be actively engaged
in the running of these workshops. Several very good
examples of these exist in the motor car industry.
The Community Occupational Health teams should
consist of physicians, nurses and social workers. They
should visit factories and local authority centres as part of
their normal work and so gain considerable knowledge of
working conditions and working groups in local industry.
Because of this knowledge and their ability to liaise with
a patient's psychiatrist, general practitioner, social worker
and disablement resettlement officer, they are in a strong
position to advise managers and personnel officers on
placing the mentally handicapped person in suitable work.
The occupational physician (industrial medical officer)
should act as the chief adviser and co-ordinator. He should
also be able to liaise with the school medical officer and
should have access to the mentally handicapped pupil's
medical and psychological assessment notes.
Legislation requiring employers to employ a fixed quota
of mentally handicapped persons would be difficult to
apply in practice. Some financial inducement for
employmers to employ these persons is required. In general
it is more difficult to find employment in open industry for
a mentally handicapped person than for a physically
handicapped one.
Trade Unions need to be more flexible in their
attitudes to the employment of the mentally (and
physically) handicapped person. Education of management
and of the working group to accept and to assist the
mentally handicapped person is necessary. The
occupational health team and health education officer for
a health area can play an important part in this respect.
The future integration of the health services under the
National Health Service should facilitate the placing of
more handicapped persons in open industry providing area
occupational health services are established and
encouragement is given to industrialists to employ these
persons.
More Industrial Therapy Organisations, sponsored and
partyly run by industry, on the lines of the Bristol one,
need to be set up. These organisations provide an
intermediate stage between Hospital and open industry in
the gradual rehabilitation of the mentally ill person.
Reference: D Early 'The Role of Industry in
Rehabilitation'. 1967
R L Lindon
Medical Officer of Health
A R Broadbent
Occupational Physician
London Borough of Hounslow
51