[Report 1954] / Medical Officer of Health, County Council of the Parts of Lindsey (Lincolnshire).

  • Lindsey (England : County). County Council.
Date:
1954
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1954] / Medical Officer of Health, County Council of the Parts of Lindsey (Lincolnshire). Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    Mental Deficiency The number of defectives ascertained and whose names were added to the register during the year was 72. Cases whose names were removed from the register owing to their having left the County, died or being no longer in need of care, numbered 58. At the end of the year the total number remaining on the register was 1,109. The new cases reported included 33 children found to be ineducable and referred by the Education Authority. Of the total cases on the register at the end of the year, 485 (including 102 on the waiting list for institutions), were under statutory supervision, 475 were in institutions, 9 were under guardianship and 140 under voluntary supervision. Supervision Supervision is carried out by the health visitors who visit the defectives regularly in their own homes. The number of visits made during the year was 2,492. Unsatisfactory environmental conditions exist in the case of most of those defectives on the waiting list for institutions but in the absence of sufficient hospital accommodation there is little that can be done about it. Unsatisfactory housing and sanitary conditions are referred to the district councils who have been most co-operative in their endeavour to remedy the defects. Institutional Care Compared with 1953 there were 5 more cases in institutions at the end of the year. The number admitted under Statutory Order was 21 as against 24 in 1953. Under Ministry of Health Circular 5/52 mental defectives can now be admitted to hospital for temporary periods up to two months, without legal formality. There were 9 cases admitted in this way in 1954. Cases so admitted usually take the place of other defectives under institutional care who are temporarily absent for one reason or another. This is a most valuable arrangement and has been instrumental in a number of instances in helping parents to tide over temporary difficulties in the home as for ex¬ ample the mother having to go into hospital for a short period. It has also in other cases enabled harassed parents to have a much needed holiday. At the end of the year there were 102 defectives awaiting admission to hospital 39 of whom are classified as urgent. Guardianship Of the nine cases under guardianship seven are adults and two are children. One of the adults is at work as a labourer. The remainder are unsuitable for employment. One of the children attends the occupation centre and the others will be able to attend when the centre is open at Scunthorpe. Occupation and Training The occupation centres at Louth and Skegness hitherto run by the local branches of the Parents of Backward Children Association, have by agreement been taken over by the County Council. The Council has also opened a centre in Gainsborough. Plans have been approved for the erection of a new centre at Scunthorpe to accommodate 50 defectives and it is hoped to commence building operations during 1955. The arrangement which the County Council has with the Grimsby Authority whereby defectives resident in Cleethorpes and other adjacent areas may attend the Grimsby Centre, continues. The centres at Gainsborough, Louth and Skegness not only serve the town in which they are situated but also in each case the surrounding rural area for a radius of approximately 12 miles. This has neces¬ sitated the provision of special transport. Two vehicles are in use at Skegness, one at Louth and one at Gains¬ borough. Admission to the Centres is restricted to Children not over the age of 16 years. The numbers in attendance at the end of the year were as follows:— Gainsborough 14 Skegness ... 25 Louth ... 13 Grimsby ... 11 The occupation centres, in addition to the training given to the children in attendance which is their primary object, also afford parents a measure of relief from the responsbility of looking after them in their homes which is much appreciated. There are still however a number of defectives living in rural areas remote from an occupation centre who are suitable for occupational training and for whom no provision has yet been made. The most practicable way of dealing with these would appear to be by the appointment of home teachers who would travel to the villages and undertake the training of defectives collected in small groups, for one or two sessions a week. The difficulty of obtaining staff for occupation centres has led the Council to institute a scheme for the training of Supervisors and Assistant Supervisors. Selected candidates attend the course held at Manchester and arranged by the National Association for Mental Health. The course fees and the cost of maintenance of the students are paid by the Council. The course extends over a period of 9 months and is both theoretical and practical. Two students will complete their training in July 1955 and a further four will commence their studies in September 1955. Students undertake that on completion of their training they will serve the Council for a period of at least 2 years.
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