§ Mr. Mikardoasked the Secretary of State for Social Services (1) what was the establishment of mental welfare officers for Tower Hamlets, together with the actual numbers employed for the year 1967;
(2) what were the rehabilitation facilities, including the number of the following existing in Tower Hamlets and the number of ex-patients there, in day centres, in industrial retraining centres or sheltered workshops, in hostels and in social centres or clubs, respectively;
(3) what rehabilitation facilities are provided with his approval jointly by Tower Hamlets and hospitals in the area or by volunteer bodies with local authority grant aid; what changes have been made in these since 1967; and what expansion is projected.
165W
Mr. GrossmanThe establishment of mental welfare offices for Tower Hamlets in 1967 was 12 and that was the number employed. Rehabilitation facilities for the mentally ill provided by the London Borough of Tower Hamlets comprise a day centre, some places in an industrial training centre and two social clubs. Work should start on a hostel in 1969–70. The Psychiatric Rehabilitation Association, a voluntary body which receives a grant from the local health authority, runs two day centres, one of them in local authority premises, a hostel and three social clubs. Attendances at the day centres average about 80 a day and at the social clubs vary between 20 and 60 a day. At present 23 of the 24 places in the hostel are occupied and another 19 persons are resident at the expense of the local authority in hostels provided by voluntary bodies elsewhere.
There is close co-operation between the local authority and the hospital authority, and local authority social workers regularly attend St. Clement's Hospital. One of the hospital social workers has recently been seconded to the local authority for a trial period of one year. I am not aware of other changes in joint provision since 1967 nor of plans for further expansion.