[Report 1959] / Medical Officer of Health, Oxford City.

  • Oxford (England). City Council. no2012034102.
Date:
1959
Catalogue details

Licence: Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)

Credit: [Report 1959] / Medical Officer of Health, Oxford City. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    that the real cause of death is a fulminating respiratory tract infection. It is, therefore, essential that all post mortems on such children should be carried out at special centres where the help of histology, bacteriology, and virology can be invoked. With this end in view, arrangements have been made for all cases of sudden death in infancy to be investigated in the Department of Morbid Anatomy at the Radcliffe Infirmary. Slowly but surely the impact of the Mental Health Act 1959 is being felt. Proposals have been prepared and subiuitted to the Ministry of Health and there is now excellent liaison with both the Warneford and Littlemore Hospitals. An important feature of the Act is the greater emphasis on local authority care and this will mean hostel provision. To achieve their purpose these hostels must be sited in the midst of the community and the general public should be prepared to accept and help these mentally handicapped persons in the same generous spirit which they have traditionally always shown to those suffering from physical disabilities. The representatives of the people readily accepted the Mental Health Bill in Parliament and it is now up to the people themselves to play their part in helping to implement some of the more important parts of the Act. These comments have particular reference to the abortive plan to build a new mental health hostel on the Denton House site at Iffley Turn. An important innovation at the Mabel Prichard Training Centre has been the provision of some remunerative work for the older and more capable persons and it is hoped to extend this. Townsend House and Shotover View, two new 60-bedded Old People’s Homes were opened during the year and Home No. 1 at the Laurels was closed leaving 67 residents in Home No. 2. A third new Home, Marston Court, is nearing completion and a tender has been accepted for a fourth Home at Jackson Road on the Cutteslowe Estate. When this latter Home is opened, it should be possible to close the Laurels completely. There will then be a need for a fifth Home probably on the Denton House site with the possibility of further Homes at Botley and on the Blackbird Leys estate. The new purpose-built Homes are proving most convenient in every way. Because of the present shortage of accommodation, ad¬ mission has had to be restricted and there is now an urgent waiting list of about 100 domiciliary cases plus another 25 patients in Cowley Road Hospital or Hurdis House. No matter how good the provision of Old People’s Homes, the main emphasis must still be on home care where 97% of those of pensionable age remain and where they are happiest provided they have warmth, an adequate diet, freedom from worry, and good health and welfare services. Approximately 800 aged persons are now receiving regular domiciliary care from the welfare staff of the de¬ partment, with voluntary bodies giving much valued assistance. Short stay admissions to the Old People’s Homes which were pioneered as a service in 1952 and have since been developed are quite invaluable. They provide indispensable relief for relatives, to cover holiday periods and domestic emergencies.