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36
A need, unfulfilled at the birth of the new London Borough, was a place
to care for the particularly severely mentally handicapped children, or those
children having a physical as well as a mental handicap. At the end of the
year plans were in hand to start a small experimental unit for this purpose,
and it is hoped that this will be in action early in 1966.
During the year, 53 patients were given short-term care in hospital or
residential homes in order to relieve family stress and emergency situations.
The number of vacancies available for short-term care cases is decreasing, due
to several factors and it is necessary to seek vacancies at great distances
from London. The provision of short-stay accommodation, near at hand, is
becoming increasingly urgent.
Arrangements were made for permanent care for 13 patients during the year.
The number of vacancies available for permanent care is becoming less, and
hospitals have now stated that the criterion for admission is that the patient
requires medical and nursing care; this takes no account of patients requiring
care and protection on social grounds, and during the year arrangements have
had to be made for this type of patient to be accommodated in private homes at
great expense.
A Special Advisory Clinic is held with the co-operation of a medical
officer of the Inner London Education Authority, to give help to parents of
children who may be considered to be mentally abnormal. The doctor running
this clinic advises anxious parents, and keeps a close check on children to
watch their development and to plan for their future placement.
In order to give additional help to families where the mother might be
housebound because she could not leave a severely mentally subnormal child, the
Council approved a scheme for the recruitment of child-minders to mind children
of this nature, free of charge to the parents, to allow mothers certain free
time. At the end of the year the matter was still awaiting Ministerial approval.
A summary of the mental health statistics is set out below:-
MENTAL ILLNESS
Number of referrals during the year 363
The final arrangements made for these referrals was as follows:-
No further action 94
Hospital care:-
Admitted informally 175
Admitted compulsorily 17
Psychiatric out-patient or day hospital 14
Admitted to general hospital 3
Number taken into Council's community care 56
Number taken into other community care 4
A further breakdown of the 56 persons taken into Council's community care during
the year, showing the type of care arranged, was as follows:-
Admitted to residential home, hostel, convent,
etc. 13
Receiving visits from Mental Health social
Worker 44
Attendance at day re-habilitation centre 5
Attendance at day centre 18
Note:- Some people were receiving more than one type of care.
Total number of mentally ill persons receiving community care
at the end of the year 235