[Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council 1928].

  • London County Council (London, England). County of London.
Date:
[1929?]
Catalogue details

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

Credit: [Report of the Medical Officer of Health for London County Council 1928]. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    23 72. When Dr. Edward Mapother was appointed as the first medical superin tendent of the Maudsley hospital, it was a condition of his appointment that it would be held subject to the pleasure of the Council and that the Council probably would exercise its pleasure at the expiration of six years at latest. Dr. Mapother completed six years of office on 8th May, 1928, and we therefore, reviewed the appointment. The hospital is the first of its kind to be established in this country and it possesses a number of special features. The work which is carried on at the hospital is still in process of development. This development has reached its present stage under the guidance and largely as the result of the energy and high ability of Dr. Mapother. We came to the conclusion that it was essential for the full realisation of the purposes for which the hospital had been established that its present direction should continue, and that it was undesirable that the Council should exercise the discretionary power to determine the appointment at the expiration of six years' tenure of the office which was retained when the present holder of the position of medical superintendent was appointed on 4th April, 1922. Medical superintend- entship. 73. The Council having decided, subject to certain conditions, to accept the offer of the Child Guidance Council (recently formed for the care of maladjusted children) for the establishment of a child guidance clinic in London, to appoint representatives on the Child Guidance Council and on the governing body of the clinic, and to recognise the clinic as an experiment for three years, as a school clinic, the Child Guidance Council selected Dr. William Moodie, the deputy medical superintendent of the Maudsley hospital, for appointment as psychiatrist and director of the clinic. As the clinic was being established in the first instance only for an experimental period, and as the appointment of director of the child guidance clinic was regarded as bringing to the organisation of the new service qualities and experience which, from the Council's point of view, were desirable, the Council, on our recommendation, granted Dr. Moodie leave of absence without pay for a period of twelve months to enable him to accept the appointment. Child Guidance Council— psychiatrist and director of clinic. 74. We have accepted an offer from the Child Guidance Council to lend to the Council for work in the Maudsley hospital for a period of one year the services of one of their staff who would be under the direction of the medical superintendent of the hospital but whose salary would be paid by the Child Guidance Council. Child Guidance Council— loan of social worker. 75. We have entered into a new agreement with the County of London Electric Supply Company, Limited, for the supply of electric current to the Maudsley hospital. The revised terms provide that the company shall supply electrical energy for all purposes at £8 per annum per kilowatt of maximum demand, and a unit charge of l.25d. (to be reduced from the June quarterly readings to l.2d.), and that the new conditions shall have effect as from the December, 1927, quarterly readings, shall remain in force for a minimum period of three years, and shall be subject thereafter to termination at three months' notice. Supply of electricity. Staff. 76. The established staff of the mental hospitals department (including the staff at the central offices), numbered, on 31st March, 1929, 608 officers, 3,590 nurses (male and female) and 931 employees of various erades. Number. 77. Consequent on our decision to use the Ewell Colony permanently as a London County mental hospital (see paragraph 4, ante), we have considered as to the appointment in a permanent capacity of the principal officers necessary for the administration of the Colony. For some time during the occupation of the institution by the Ministry of Pensions and for the whole time since, Dr. Leonard Henry Wootton, M.C., deputy medical superintendent of Colney Hatch mental hospital, has been seconded to act as medical superintendent, and the Council, on our recommendation, promoted Dr. Wootton to the substantive position of medical superintendent with effect from 1st February, 1929. Changes in medical staff.