[Report 1950] / Medical Officer of Health, Essex County Council.
- Essex (England). County Council.
- Date:
- 1950
Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
Credit: [Report 1950] / Medical Officer of Health, Essex County Council. Source: Wellcome Collection.
11/106 (page 11)
![In the sphere of prevention and in the care and rehabilitation of patients dis- charged from hospital there is a wide field of responsibility which as yet has not been met by most local authorities. The stress, difficulty and frustration of modern living conditions are calculated to lead to an increase of mental strain, more numerous cases of neurosis, and symptoms af early mental illness amongst an increased number of persons. It is at this early stage f that arrangements for dealing with the potential patient will assist in the prevention of more serious mental disturbance. The provision of trained psychiatric social workers available to afford advice and assistance in conjunction with adequate psychia- tric out-patients clinics will play an important part in reducing the number of patients iwho eventually may need to be admitted to hospital. Moreover, such workers have mi important function in the community care of patients discharged from hospital. It will be obvious that the arrangements for prevention of mental illness and after-care | ] atients concern both the hospital authority and the local authority intimately and hat their responsibilities intermingle and overlap. In the formulation, therefore, of . rny scheme for prevention and after-care the two authorities must work closely together ind the officers of the mental hospitals and of the local authority must co-operate closely in the case of each individual patient. It seems desirable in these circumstances ind in view of the shortage of trained psychiatric social workers that arrangements should be made for their joint employment by hospitals and the local health authority. Difficulties which might otherwise arise in the case of patients requiring further •/psychiatric treatment on leaving hospital and who are the responsibility of the hospital luthority, and those who require only social care or assistance and are the respon- sibility of the local authority, would be avoided. In so far as the local health authority is concerned, the facilities which are equired for the welfare of the patient will include the provision of periods of con- valescence for selected patients, occupational and social clubs, and advice and help in adjustment to life in the community. On the preventive side, practical assistance in neeting domestic and industrial difficulties, early referral for expert medical advice ind privacy in relationships with the psychiatric social worker are important factors. In the latter connection it will be desirable for the office of the psychiatric social ilworker to be divorced both from hospital and local authority buildings in order that Tie patient, self referred or otherwise, will have confidence in the privacy of his visits. rf The organisation of a scheme of community care for the potential or actual patient •an in present circumstances be developed only in stages and it is hoped next year to > ommence in one area of the County as a first stage. (b) Mental Deficiency. The problem of the mentally defective person differs n many respects from that of the mentally ill person, but the fundamental respon- sibility of caring adequately for the patient is the same. The total number of patients bund to be mental defectives, subject to be dealt with, as at the end of 1950 was 3,391, and of these 1,312 are in institutions. The remainder, with the exception of three who are in t£ places of safety ”, live in the community either under guardianship jjr under statutory supervision. In addition, 1,214 defectives are under voluntary upervision in the community.](https://iiif.wellcomecollection.org/image/b29196061_0013.jp2/full/800%2C/0/default.jpg)
