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37
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
The year was marked by several new ventures in the mental health field
which are described below, the most noteworthy being perhaps the opening of the
new Homerton Training Centre and the Special Care Unit in the grounds of Millfields
Disinfecting Station. In addition increasing calls were made on the
community care and statutory services due in the main to enlightenment of public
opinion and improved treatment of mental disorder. The Mental Health Act,
1959, is now beginning to be really effective, and the accent is clearly on care
and treatment within the community.
EMERGENCY ROTA
The rota covering calls for mental health services after office hours was
continued in conjunction with the London Borough of Islington and the Hackney
officers operated from the John Scott Health Centre until late in the year when
it was found more convenient to allow them to operate from their own homes.
DAY CENTRES
The three Day Centres were busily employed during the year, and it is interesting
to note that from Clifton Lodge 23 patients were discharged to employment
and from Hindle House Day Centre and Shoreditch Day Centre a further
5 patients were discharged to employment. It was necessary to re-admit to
hospital only 9 patients from the Day Centres during the year. The number of
admissions to Day Centres during the year was 50, 33 of whom were admitted to
Clifton Lodge, which is a centre specially geared to provide a short period
of rehabilitation. The other two centres accept patients who have a chronic
illness.
As mentioned in my Report of 1965 some of the premises were unsuitable and
require alteration or replacement; to this end the Shoreditch Training Centre
has been adapted to provide a day centre for 50 patients and will replace the
Shoreditch Day Centre in the early part of 1967.
SOCIAL CLUBS
These continued to be well attended and are held at various locations on
each weekday night.
TRAINING CENTRES
This year saw the opening of a new purpose designed training centre for
both sexes in Morning Lane, E.9. The concept of mixed training centres for
seniors is fairly new but experience has shown that it is an excellent idea.
There have been no undue problems in mixing the sexes, on the contrary, it seems
to have had a beneficial effect on both the boys and the girls.
The building provides accommodation for 80 boys and 40 girls. There is
a very large light workshop on the ground floor for the boys where simple
carpentry tasks are undertaken. The girls have a very large room on the first
floor. On occasions the girls and boys work side by side. Meals are taken
together on the second floor.
This new centre, known as the Homerton Training Centre, opened in September
when the senior training centre for boys which had been in a church hall in Bay
Street for the past 16 years closed. The elder girls had been attending, by
arrangement, centres in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, so that no centre
was given up in this case.