[Report 1955] / School Medical Officer of Health, Dorset County Council.

  • Q55239020
Date:
1955
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1955] / School Medical Officer of Health, Dorset County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.

    5/92 (page 4)
    Mental Health One of tlie most pressing problems at the present time is the acute shortage of institution beds fr mental defectives, particularly low grade cases, and this has necessitated a completely new approac to community care. It is recognised that facilities must be made available so that defectives can remai at home wherever possible, leaving the available institution beds for low grade cases requiring nursin or custodial care, and high grade cases suitable for training with a view to rehabilitation in the communit;; fn a rural county such as Dorset, the establishment of occupation centres is not practicable excej in the larger urban areas. In Poole the centre, accommodating sixty cases, serves the borough and a cons derable surrounding rural area. An extension to provide twenty additional places has been approved b the county council and the provision of a new centre covering the \Veymouth area is receivin consideration. The guardianship home at Lytchett Matravers, a photograph of which appears on the frontispiec is a very valuable asset to the county. Here eight cases can be accommodated, and the owner In developed tlie home entirely on her own initiative because of her great interest in this work. I should like to take this opportunity of placing on record my appreciation of the kind co-operation ( the members of the committee and in particular the chairman, Mr. Douglas Jackman, whose help and advic is-readily given at all times. My thanks are also due to the staff of the department for their loyal and willing support, and assistant in the compilation of this report. ARTHUR A. DISNEY, County Medical Officer of Health. Health Department, County Hall, Dorchester, Dorset. July, 1956.