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In the operation of the Mental Health Service, the need for establishing
a close liaison with mental hospitals to which patients from
this area are regularly admitted, became a matter of priority. By the
end of the year a close link had been established, both by the medical
staff and by the Mental Welfare Officers of the Department. The
Authority's Mental Welfare Officers took the initiative in requesting
case conferences with hospital staff on patients with specially complex
difficulties. Some difficulty was experienced in ascertaining whether
patients being discharged from hospital were in need of, or desirous
of having, community care even when such patients had been receiving
such care before their admission to hospital.
The practical difficulties of maintaining a close link with mental
hospitals in the area are very real ones. Patients from this Borough
are admitted to three mental hospitals, namely Netherne, West Park
and Horton Hospitals and if, in accordance with the highest standards
of social work practice, a close liaison is to be maintained with patients,
whilst in hospital or in the community, close links with three mental
hospitals are obviously much more difficult and time consuming with
a limited staff, than would be the case if a close link had merely to
be established with one hospital serving the area. In addition it is
also necessary to maintain some liaison with three hospitals for subnormal
patients.
Throughout the year, difficulties associated with staffing were an
ever-present problem. The establishment framed to meet the needs
of the Health Department, comprises a variety of professional and
semi-professional workers, and the twofold problem was that of
recruiting staff with appropriate professional qualifications and the
necessary experience, and of retaining such staff once recruited.
In the case of Social Workers it became apparent that the acute
shortage was to be a continuing one, especially when one realises that
on the establishment of the Health Department there is provision for
Medical Social Workers, Psychiatric Social Workers, Mental Welfare
Officers and other Social Workers whose period of training leading
to eventual qualification varies from two to four years. The choice,
therefore, in filling vacancies for Social Workers on the establishment
was seldom one of selecting the best applicant from a short list of
qualified and experienced candidates but was rather a matter of appointing
from the available applicants, one who, although professionally
unqualified, had previous practical experience in this field of
work, and whose personality was suitable. It was not possible, therefore,
to fill all the vacancies on the establishment with qualified staff,
and it is obvious that the best hope for the future is for the Authority
to train, on an assisted training scheme, persons with the necessary
educational background and personality, to embark on training leading
to an eventual professional qualification. In the meantime,
unqualified staff on the establishment receive guidance and help from
the qualified staff.
By the end of the year it had not been possible to recruit a
Deputy Superintendent of the Midwifery and Home Nursing Service,
and the Superintendent, therefore, carried on under considerable
difficulties.
The inability to appoint a Health Education Officer is very much
to be regretted. This is an essential post in a Health Department for,
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