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At the end of the year, there were 371 (254 - 1965) mentally ill persons receiving community
care. Regular support was being given to these patients and their relatives, whilst in 99 of the
cases more intensive casework was being undertaken by the mental health social worker. Children
leaving maladjusted schools are followed up by social workers, or if the child is in the council's
care there is liaison with the child care officer as and when the need arises. The mental health
social worker takes over normally when the child becomes eighteen if continuing help is required.
20 patients attended day centres in other parts of London and 53 were admitted to or
continued to be maintained in a variety of hostels for mental after care.
LYNDEN CENTRE
Camden's first day centre for mentally ill patients opened on 7 November 1966, in
Lyndhurst Hall, Warden Road, N.W.5 under the supervision of an occupational therapist and an
assistant. Its aim is to rehabilitate those patients who have failed in employment because of their
inability to make social contact; and it is hoped that those accepted will become self supporting
within 12 months. Consequently, the patients accepted are principally those who have a chronic
sickness, but are basically intelligent and can gain insight into their social difficulties by working
in a group.
To these ends the daily programme is equally divided into individual and group work. As
the intended total is 20 members, this is small enough to facilitate social contact and large enough
for each member to make individual friendships. The centre is self-sufficient in that it shops and
caters for itself and whilst these activities are in progress each morning the other group members
pursue individual projects, which help to devote their own talent and establish a work habit. The
afternoons are used for a variety of group activities to encourage social contact and to make some
interaction a necessity. The activities include play reading, games, painting, group discussions
and a weekly outing.
Early experience suggests that the location of the centre, and of the Thursday Club which
is described below, in a community centre serving a wide variety of functions contributes to the
socialisation of those who attend.
PSYCHIATRIC SOCIAL CLUB
The Camden Thursday Club for people who have had or who are vulnerable to breakdown,
and therefore in need of support, has flourished over the past 12 months. It has increased in membership
and has an average weekly attendance of 35-40 people within a fairly young age group, largely
up to the mid-forties. As its membership increased so the activities have grown to include as well
as the original music making and painting groups, table tennis, badminton, dancing, chess and
music appreciation.
An exciting development this year has been the club's eagerness to share their new found
enthusiasm and capacity for self expression with other groups who are still in psychiatric treatment
and whom they want to help. This led first to an exchange of visits with other psychiatric clubs
and is now developing into plans for regular club visits to the in-patient social at Friern Hospital
in order to build a bridge for in-patients back into the community. The club which began as a
therapeutic club is becoming a therapist in its own right.
THE MENTALLY SUB-NORMAL
At the end of the year there were 301 (302 - 1965) sub-normal or severely sub-normal
patients receiving community care. 9 children under five years have places in the Lindfield Gardens
Nursery run by the Camden Society for Mentally Handicapped Children and nine children in the
Coram's Garden Day Jursery Special Unit. A special clinic held for counselling and advising parents
on the progress of their sub-normal children aged under 5 was transferred to other premises in May
and a second clinic started in June.
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