[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Brent].

  • Brent London Borough Council
Date:
[1967?]
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0)

Credit: [Report of the Medical Officer of Health for Brent]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    21 No major repairs to the building were required during the year. Any minor repairs, not requiring specialised skills, were effected by the boys under supervision. Garden tools were purchased in response to the lively interest and usefulness of the boys in gardening. Although work has been progressing slowly due to bad weather, the wilderness that was, is now a well laid out and attractive garden. Attempts have been made throughout the year to place certain boys in outside lodgings. Unfor tunately nothing suitable has been found. The year under review can record two specific successes:— One young boy was admitted from a Children's Department Home. No one imagined he could ever work in open employment but nevertheless it was thought he would benefit by living in this hostel. At first the boy refused to work regularly and even managed to convince prospective employers that he was unable to do so. Though he genuinely found it difficult to work at first, he proved to be trainable. His immature behaviour gave way to more adult and realistic approaches to work and home situations. He has in fact kept his present employment for nearly six months. The second boy was admitted in his last year in the Junior Training Centre. His transfer from there to open employment went smoothly and his employer is very pleased with him. For the first nine months of 1966 the staff situation in the hostel was adequate. The Assistant Matron was able to accompany the boys to St. Mary's Bay Holiday Camp. Outings to the coast, weekends under canvas and visits to places of interest were possible because of adequate staffing. Such outings are not only a source of pleasure but also a great help in fostering self-assurance and initiative in the boys. It is to be hoped that the changes in staffing will not affect the training programme. Council policy up to now has been directed towards filling to maximum residential accommodation for the purpose of keeping overheads low. This has led to the admission of out-Borough cases with the result that care must be exercised to retain suitable accommodation for Brent cases. Neasden Junior Training Centre. For some years it had been the policy of the former Middlesex County Council to call all its Junior Training Centres Junior Training Schools. In so doing it was hoped to draw the attention of the public to the fact that a place of this kind differed only in a matter of degree (and not always even in that) from the activities carried out in establishments of the name of school that are the responsibility of the Education Authorities. This usage has also helped many a parent to sweeten the bitter pill when told that their child was found unfit to benefit from formal education. In addition it should be noted that some of these children do benefit by having some measure of formal instruction and are able to learn the rudiments of the 3 R's. It might therefore prove advisable to review in the near future the terminology of the Neasden Training estab lishment. The Centre has 90 places, including 24 within the Special Care Unit. An additional number of children are allocated places at the Junior Training Centre of adjacent authorities. I mentioned earlier on that Government policy dictated the postponement of the new establishment at Grove Park, Kingsbury. This decision caused much unhappiness both with my staff and indeed the parents. The present building is anything but suitable and urgent repairs and redecorations can no longer be post poned. I have however been fortunate to open the new Special Care Unit in Balnacraig Avenue, Neasden. This building, which is linked with the Centre proper by a private path of some 40 yards, caters for the equivalent of 24 full-time cases in three rooms with a well-designed sanitary unit comprising of toilets, bath room and laundry plus a small staff room. The Unit is under the authority of the Centre Supervisor and is staffed by two assistant supervisors and two general duties attendants. A male student nurse from Leavesden Hospital is also attached to this Unit. Some of the pressure from our waiting list has now been alleviated but unfortunately there are still many children waiting for admission. It has seemed prudent to split up the additional number of places, so that at the present some children attend two and others three days per week. This has proved to be an additional strain on the staff: they have to get used to a larger number of individuals, their idiosyncrasies, and indeed their different medications. The resignation of the physiotherapist in December, whom this Borough shared with several others, should make it possible to obtain the required two sessions so that all children in need get the necessary treatment once a week. The problem of special care for severe multiple handicaps in addition to the basic mental one is by no means solved. The provisions of units, such as this, may have been a step in the wrong direction. As nursing is the paramount requirement of such cases they would appear to be the responsibility of the Regional Hospital Board rather than the Local Authority. Indeed, Day Hospitals are one way in which some hospital authorities are meeting this urgent problem. The Neasden Junior Training Centre is served by various specialists. Dr. M. D'Silva, the eye specialist, took over from Dr. Peter Gardiner when the latter had completed his survey on the incidence of eye defects in mentally handicapped children. Dr. D'Silva also attends the Centre once a term and thus keeps a check on the vision of all children. Dental inspections are carried out by the School Dentist at the adjacent Neasden Clinic. It has been found that many mentally handicapped children can be inspected in the normal way. Treatment however is limited to a smaller number of co-operative ones. The remainder receive treatment at Leavesden Hospital where they are inspected and treated under general anaesthetic and usually admitted overnight. It is a pity that arrangements of this kind cannot be made with a local hospital as the journey to Leavesden Hospital is very long. However, from past experience it is well known that the nursing staff in general hospitals is not able to cope with children of this kind. It might not come amiss were such work included in the training syllabus for general nurses.
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