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GENERAL PROVISION OF HEALTH SERVICES.
Consequent upon the closing of the Council's Convalescent
Home at Margate, it was necessary to find additional accommodation
for cases of children requiring short periods of convalescence.
In June of this year arrangements were made by the
Council with the West Ham Central Mission for the reservation
of 20 places for West Ham children at their Convalescent Home,
Hutton, near Brentwood.
In addition, the Invalid Children's Aid Association and the
Invalid and Crippled Children's Society, two voluntary organisations
in the Borough, were able to place a very large number of
children in various homes. May I again extend to these two
voluntary agencies my thanks for the splendid work performed by
them.
Psychological Clinics.
I am indebted to Dr. J. Harvey Cuthbert for the following
report:—
The Nerve Clinic, situated in West Ham, at the Invalid and
Crippled Children's Hospital, is now in its fifth year, and continues
lo serve a useful purpose in promoting mental health and welfare.
During the past year some seventy-five cases have been dealt
with, an increase of eight as compared with the previous year.
It is interesting to note that there has been a steady annual
increase in the numbers referred to the Clinic, which is evidence
that the work undertaken is being more widely known and appreciated.
The Clinic has two sessions per week of approximately
one and a half hours on Wednesday and Saturday mornings.
In considering the cases investigated, it is again noteworthy
that over fifty per cent. were children. It is thus apparent that
the problem of the maladjusted child at home and at school is
assuming a greater significance in the minds of parents and
educators. This is the most promising field of mental hygiene,
and it is to be hoped that the time will come when a fully organised
Child Guidance Clinic run on the "team method" will be established.
At present, our activities in this development are
handicapped by not having a psychiatric social worker and an
educational psychologist. It has thus been necessary in certain
cases to refer them to the London Child Guidance Clinic, Canonbury,
and to the West End Hospital for Nervous Diseases.
The facilitating of the operation of the Mental Treatment
Act has again been one of the most important features of the
Clinic's work. It will be noted that nineteen cases of mental
disorder were recommended as suitable for voluntary treatment.
Of that number, sixteen actually availed themselves of the opportunity
to receive early treatment. It is interesting to record that
the suggestion that the clinic patient should enter the Mental
Hospital freely, and of his or her own accord, was received
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