London's Pulse: Medical Officer of Health reports 1848-1972
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Hints from the Health Department. Leaflet from the archive of the Society of Medical Officers of Health. Credit: Wellcome Collection, London
Merton 1968
[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Merton]
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OTHER FORMS OF MENTAL DISORDER
Cases dealt with by Mental Welfare Officers
During the year 425 cases were referred to the Mental Welfare
Officers for attention and 338 other cases were admitted to mental
hospitals through the Mental Health Service.
Again, these figures do not include the large number of informal
admissions arranged directly by the General Practitioner or admitted
informally through psychiatric out-patient clinics. In those informal
cases listed above the Mental Health staff have actively made it possible
for the patient to be admitted to hospital in the easiest way and
in many instances they are taken into hospital by private car, perhaps
accompanied by a relative.
The actual number of informal cases dealt with in this way is high
and certainly higher than in some Boroughs with a larger population
and a much larger staff. It is felt that this is a particularly valuable
way of helping the families of persons who are mentally ill and a particularly
important way of alleviating the anxiety of the patient.
Again, it will be seen from the breakdown of large groups that
the elderly continue to figure largely as a percentage of the total figure.
The following table gives details:—
| Males | Males | Females | Females | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 65 | Over 65 | Under 60 | Over 60 | ||
| Admitted informally | 54 | 20 | 85 | 39 | 198 |
| Admitted under Section 25 (for observation) | 15 | 5 | 17 | 11 | 48 |
| Admitted under Section 26 (for treatment) | 8 | - | 1 | 1 | 10 |
| Admitted under Section 29 (for observation in case of emergency) | 20 | 6 | 26 | 19 | 71 |
| Admitted under Section 60 (by the Courts) | 1 | - | - | - | 1 |
| Admitted under Section 136 (in conjunction with the Police) | 7 | 1 | 2 | — | 10 |
| Totals | 105 | 32 | 131 | 70 | 338 |
Patients receiving Community Care
At the end of the year 93 males and 252 female patients were
being provided with community care by the Authority. This shows
a decrease of eight males and an increase of 93 females compared with
1967.
Guardianship
There are no cases under guardianship in the Borough.
Cases Boarded out
The Authority, at the end of the year, was making financial
provision for the boarding-out of 19 patients. A particularly close
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