London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972

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Merton 1967

[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Merton]

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Special Care Unit
The Special Care Unit which was opened in 1966 clearly met
a well established need. In this Unit, day care is provided for severely
subnormal children with additional physical handicaps. At the present
time the Unit is virtually full. The fact that this is a twenty place
unit does not always mean that there should, or can be, twenty children
in attendance. This has to be regulated according to the 'children
available' or the particular type of needs of the children attending.
This unit is also used by the London Borough of Sutton as is the
Junior Training Centre. It has also been possible to make available
to the London Borough of Wandsworth two vacancies for children
who were in urgent need of such care and for whom no appropriate
facilities were immediately available. Vacancies to other Boroughs are
offered only on the understanding that they are not required for
Merton children. A spirit of co-operation between Boroughs for the
efficient and economic use of the facilities they have available, is of
paramount importance in the planning of services.

The table below gives details of the number of attendances at the Special Care Unit during the year:—

MertonSuttonWands'thTotal
No. of children attending on 1.1.6796217
No. of children attending on 31.12.67115218
No. of attendances made during year1,6567312662,653

Junior Training Centre
The Junior Training Centre, whilst it has 75 places, had, at the
end of the year, only 56 children in attendance. This is mainly due to
the fact that the London Borough of Sutton are now able to provide
facilities for more of their children within their Borough and therefore
have less need for places in our Centre. The use of the Junior Training
Centre may be extended to assist parents by providing a nursery
groun at some time in the future.

The table below gives details of the attendances at the Junior Training Centre during the year:—

MertonSuttonTotal
No. of children in attendance on 1.1.67401757
No. of children in attendance on 31.12.67421456
No. of attendances made6,7102,6729,382

Adult Training Centre
The arrangements for Adult Day Training centred on the Unit
in the Manor Hospital, Epsom, have now been consolidated and, at
the end of the year, 45 trainees were in attendance. A very small
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