Boarders, Not Patients

Mental Health 1965-66 states that it is estimated that half of the 64,000 patients in hospitals for the mentally subnormal could leave hospital if there were suitable accommodation and adequate support for them in the community. The validity of this statement is substantiated by a study of the referrals to the admission bureau at this hospital for the mentally subnormal which serves a population of just over 840,000. During the twelve there were 125 new referrals to the bureau. In 35 o' these cases, that is over a quarter of the total, tbe principal need of the people referred was not nursing care or medical treatment, but accommodation meet a social problem. These cases were mentall) handicapped children and adults who had lived aj home until this was no longer possible because illness, separation or death of the parents, relatives of guardians. In these circumstances at the present time there appears frequently to be no alternative to ho$' pital accommodation. Once in hospital for emergency care a person often remains there for long-term resi' dence simply because there is no other suitable plac? available. The admission of this type of case to hospital is ufl' satisfactory for a number of reasons. It is bad ecO' nomics to use hospitals for accommodating peop^ who do not need the special facilities a hospita provides. Beds which would otherwise be available f?f short-term care and the admission of people who ne$ medical and nursing attention become occupied per' manently, so that there is no opportunity to redu^ the overcrowding in many hospital wards. Sornetime-these people have to live with patients who are mffJ seriously handicapped and disturbed in their haviour. A large number of mentally handicapped people still being admitted to hospitals and are remains-there because they have nowhere else to go. A vicio11' circle operates for as long as accommodation can ^ found in hospitals there is little inducement for 9$ alternative to be provided. Residential care for tfe' mentally handicapped is still being equated v# hospital care.