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The proposal to build a special care unit in the grounds of Hackney
Training Centre will also shorten the waiting list of children to be admitted.
On every evening during the week at least one social club is being
conducted for either ex-mentally ill patients or for mentally handicapped
patients of different severity. Some of the clubs are the responsibility of
voluntary organisations, others are run by the mental health social workers.
In any case at least one of the Department's social workers take part in
the activities whoever runs the clubs. At present all the clubs are run in
Council premises.
Relationship with Hospitals
Although the psychiatric unit of Hackney Hospital has alleviated some of
the admission difficulties, facilities for disturbed patients, geriatric and
psychiatric, are still lacking and the small number of beds for the remainder
are always full. The unsatisfactory circumstances of having to admit most
of the patients to Long Grove Hospital, situated 25 miles on the other side
of London, has continued. However, the matter has been discussed with the
Superintendent of Long Grove Hospital and the Chief Medical Officer of the
North East Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board in order to try to speed up
the establishment of a proper and sufficient psychiatric unit at Hackney
Hospital, and it would seem that steps will be taken soon in the new year to
improve facilities at Hackney Hospital.
One important result of the discussions has been the suggestion of a duty
roster of psychiatric consultants facilitating the admission work for both the
general practitioners and the mental health social workers to the advantage of
the patients. Although this had been agreed to in principle it had not yet
been implemented in practice at the end of the year.
During the year the Superintendent of South Ockenden Hospital for
mentally handicapped children notified the Council that no more patients could
be admitted for the time being. A similar message was received from St.
Lawrence's Hospital concerning mentally handicapped adults. However, one
patient was admitted to this Hospital with some difficulty.
The usual visits of mental health social workers to both psychiatric
hospitals continued. Ward rounds and general discussions take place with the
psychiatrists.
Voluntary Organisations
The relationship with the voluntary organisations dealing with mental
health activities has been very good and much mutual assistance has been
given. The major voluntary body in the borough is the Psychiatric Rehabilitation
Association. It conducts a day centre in which 28 Hackney citizens have
been working during the year. An effort is made to stimulate the clients and
when they have obtained a high enough work level they proceed to an industrial
education unit also run by the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association and
situated in Tower Hamlets. Three Hackney clients moved there during the year.
The Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association hostel, Nicholas House, just across
the border in Tower Hamlets, housed twelve Hackney people during the year.
A community home in Tottenham gave accommodation for one Hackney client. The
Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association is in the process of establishing a
community home for twelve in Hackney.
The Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association runs a weekly social club at
John Scott Health Centre to which patients from Long Grove are invited. They
arrange a Sunday luncheon club for twelve in Dalston and run a Sunday bus to
Long Grove Hospital. Five Hackney citizens took part in the group holiday.
All these organisations are, of course, given support in some way and another
by the mental health section staff.