View report page

99
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICE
(C.H.A. Wedeles, L.R.C.P., M.R.C.S., D.P.M.(Lond.)
(Medical Officer for Mental Health)
General
The Mental Health of the Service has emerged reasonably intact
from the year of coloured papers with their glossy prospects, in such
contrast to the embattled reality.
We have chipped away at our programme of doing a little better and
a little more, and of seizing opportunities to knit in with the work of
other psychiatric agencies, Hospital, Child Guidance Clinic, etc.
Seasoned personnel for social work posts has been hard to come by;
people seem to be staying put awaiting re-organisation. Our vacancies
have thus been mainly filled with graduate recruits, whose training
absorbs a great deal of the time of senior staff. We estimate that given
twenty-five Mental Health Social Workers, we could do justice to the
work generated in the Borough — a target not within the realm of present
possibilities.
A good deal of informal discussion and some research have taken
place about operating Area Teams from Area Offices. We have a fair
idea of the best locations for these from maps we have plotted showing
the incidence and distribution of cases. No decisions have, as yet,
crystallised. Such deployment would have clear value in reducing
travelling times, lead to improved contacts with clients and referring
agencies, especially general practitioners, and relieve our increasingly
very cramped working conditions.
We intend to appoint, in 1970, a Training Officer for the Social
Services; he is to undertake the work of all staff development and
recruitment. Such a post should, in time, relieve fieldworkers of a heavy
burden of responsibility and help to ensure the continuous raising of
standards of work.
Abury House
Hostel
for the
Mentally
III
In May, we opened Abury House as a twelve-bedded Mental Health
Hostel. We use it as a staging post for patients on their return from
hospital to ordinary life, and for others who, whilst not needing full
hospital services, require residential care for a period of time. All referrals
are seen by the Principal Medical Officer, the Principal Mental