Report Mental Health Authority

1969-70 VICTORIA REPORT OF THE MENTAL HEALTH AUTHORITY FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31sT DECEMBER, 1968 PRESENTED TO BOTH HOUSES OF PARLIAMENT PURSUA.J.'l"T TO ACT No. 6605, SECTION 13. Approximate Cost of Report.-Preparn.tion, not given. Printing (260 copies), $1,415. By Authon·ry: C. H. RIXON, GOVERNMENT PRINTER. MELBOURNE. No. 35.-2984/70.-Price 85 cents MENTAL HEALTH AUTHORITY, 300 Queen-street, Melbourne, 3000. The Honorable the Minister of Health, SIR, We the undersigned have pleasure in submitting the accompanying Report concerning the exercise of the functions of the Mental Health Authority and the operation of the Mental Health Services in this State during the year ended the 31st December, 1968. Yours faithfully, ALAN STOLLER, Chairman. J. R. McDONALD, Secretary. INDEX PAGE Mental Health Authority Report .. 7 Chief Medical Officer's Report 10 Chief Clinical Officer's Report 11 Pathologist's Report 15 Inspector, Mental Deficiency Training, Report 19 STATISTICAL TABLES Table I.-Showing Number of cases under the care of the Authority as at 31st December, 1968 21 Table H.-Showing details and percentages of Voluntary and Recommended patients 22 Table IlL-Showing admissions and re-admissions of Voluntary patients 23 Table IV.-Showing Approved and Voluntary patients in Intellectual Deficiency Institutions 23 Table V.-Showing number of Recommended patients boarded out in Benevolent Homes 23 Table VI.-Showing particulars of Geriatric Patients 24 Table VII.-Showing Primary Causes of Death of Patients in Mental, Psychiatric and Informal Hospitals and Intellectual Deficiency Institutions 24 Table VIII.-Diagnostic Summary 25 COMMUNITY SERVICES Statistical Summaries Day Hospitals 26 Out-patients 27 Therapeutic Industrial Workshops and Social Clubs 28 Hostels 28 Reports- Alexandra-parade (including Personal Emergency Service) 29 Ambermere (Shepparton) 30 Bouverie Clinic 31 Children's Clinic 32 Clarendon Clinic 33 Glenhuntly Rehabilitation Centre 34 Malvern Clinic and Day Hospital 35 Northern Victoria Regional Service 36 Observatory Clinic .. 37 Pentridge Psychiatric Clinic .. 38 Travancore Clinic 39 (Notes from other clinics are incorporated in the reports from the parent institutions). RESIDENTIAL SERVICES Statistical Summaries Psychiatric Hospitals 41 Informal Hospitals .. 41 Mental Hospitals 41 Reports-{Psychiatric and Informal Hospitals) Ballarat 42 Novar 43 Dandenong 44 Malvern 47 Larundel 48 Royal Park 50 Pleasant View 50 Parkville Unit 53 Traralgon .. 55 INDEX-continued PAGE Reports (Mental Hospitals) Ararat 56 Ballarat 59 Beech worth 63 Kew 65 Larundel 67 Mont Park 69 Plenty 72 Sun bury 74 Warrnambool 76 Repatriation Mental Hospital, Bundoora 78 INTELLECTUAL DEFICIENCY SERVICES Statistical Summaries- Intellectual Deficiency Training Centres 81 Informal Intellectual Deficiency Centres (St. Nicholas and Sandhurst Boys Centre) 81 Intellectual Deficiency Training Schools 81 Reports- Ararat Training Centre 82 Beechworth Training Centre 84 Janefield (including Training School) 86 Kew, Children's Cottages 90 Sandhurst Boys' Centre, Bendigo 94 Pleasant Creek, Stawell 96 Sunbury Training Centre 98 Travancore Developmental Centre 101 St. Nicholas, Carlton 103 FINANCE TABLES Showing details of expenditure and maintenance costs of all institutions and services- Table IX .. 106 Table X .. 107 Table XL .. 108 REPORT At the end of 1968 there were 50 patients less in residence than at the end of 1967. In 1968 deaths ofmales 65 and over, and of females 60 and over were 2151ess than in 1967, otherwise the bed reduction would have been much greater. Admissions to all hospitals were 9,206 and as the daily average number in residence was 9,086 there was more than 100 per cent. turnover. Jf however these figures are divided up into their respective categories they show that the direct admissions to 830 psychiatric hospitals beds were 7, 179, to 5,972 mental hospital beds were 1,585 and to 3,061 intellectually deficiency beds were 1,117. Other points of particular interest in the 1968 figures are that first admissions to the hospitals were reduced by 200 but that first admissions to the out-patient departments were increased by 750, showing the trend over the years to treat more patients within the community rather than in hospital. Nearly all the intellectually handicapped patients who are free of psychoses have now been removed to the training centres. This has been a gradual process because there was a great deal of resistance and sometimes hardship in moving to a place, more remotely situated, a patient who had been in one institution near his people's home for a considerable length of time. The apparent decrease in numbers of mental hospital patients and the increase in the intellectually handicapped is therefore more a paper than an actual figure. GERIATRICS. Although the geriatric patients are aggregrated at Kew and in the hospital section of Mont Park there are still very many scattered throughout all the hospitals. Many have been there for a large number of years and are institutionalized and old, rather than suffering from a detorioration or psychiatric illness associated with ageing. In many cases their psychoses have disappeared but nevertheless they are quite unable to be discharged except to a benevolent home or a geriatric hospital, as they are without friends and need care and supervision. ln fact in 1957, 301 patients were boarded out to benevolent homes, in 1968 there were only 90, due to some apparent change in the policy. This is unfortunate as the geriatric hospitals and homes are better staffed and less crowded than the mental hospitals. Further relief could be given to the mental hospitals if additional funds were available for placement of many more patients in non-institutional accommodation. In the long run this restriction is shortsighted, the longer patients are forced to stay in institutions the less will be their chance of ever leaving. Kew has proved to be an excellent teaching unit and were a geriatrician on the staff of the University appointed to Mont Park and attached to the Austin Hospital this could fulfill an equally valuable function for the north of Melbourne. To be fully effective a geriatric day hospital and occupational therapy unit should be started at Mont Park on similar lines to that at Kew. On 1st July, 1968, a tragic fire at Kew, set alight by an old lady smoking in bed, caused the loss of six lives. The buildings in which the patients were housed were huts dating from the beginning of the century. They have since been vacated but this evacuation has only accentuated the overcrowding in the other wards. It is quite impossible to alter Kew in line with the complete recommendations of the fire brigade and, in fact, it is doubtful whether the buildings are worth the cost. Many of the simpler suggestions have been adopted, and there is no doubt that as soon as the Public Works Department can construct ramps these should be built on both the male and female divisions of the hospital, by which means a rapid evacuation of three upstairs wards on either side could be undertaken. Urgent alterations to the female wards are necessary, but there is an unfortunate deadlock between the wish of the Mental Health Authority for immediate improvements to the toilets and redecoration involving minimal structural alterations and the Public Works Department which has proposed a scheme for a complete remodelling of the building over some years for which no funds are presently available. A decision on major reconstruction or demolition and replacement by new accommodation is held up pending receipt of a detailed architectural report has been requested but is not yet to hand. In the meantime wards are closed and the inadequate conditions and overcrowding remain. 8 BUILDINGS. Despite the co-operation received from individuals the organization of the works programme is quite unsatisfactory and some very radical alterations are needed. Costs have risen alarmingly, the delays are prolonged and no advantages have been obtained from the policy of having standard designs for many types of buildings. After months of work with the Colac Planning Committee the architect was taken away and put onto another job, so that despite the urgent waiting list this means further delay. The new standard mental health unit for Footscray and Geelong has not been designed, the multi-storey building at St. Nicholas Hospital is lying vacant, wards at Kew Cottages needing alteration have been shelved for years and no progress has been made on the new wards at Beechworth, although the old buildings are literally dropping to pieces. Bendigo cannot open because staff accommodation and nurses hostels were not programmed to be available simultaneously with the treatment facilities. The Authority strongly feel that some of these jobs should be let out to private architects to be completely designed and supervised by them. A client-architect relationship should be established consistent with normal practices and subject to the overall approval of the designs, costs and general standards by the Public Works Department. At the same time the Authority needs its own architect to act as a liaison with the public works, to check the plans and to avoid the unnecessary mistakes and the problems of furnishing, painting and decorations that arise when the design architects are removed from the construction of the buildings they plan. There is no doubt that if a number of the hospitals had their artisan staff augmented they could undertake far more cheaply, expeditiously and efficiently some of the minor works now let out to contract. It is these delayed small jobs that cause the frustration, irritation and discontent throughout the mental health service. FIRE PRECAUTIONS. Following the fire at Kew another revision of all the fire precautions was made, so increasing the number of fire drills, re-examining the extinguishers and water supply, and having diagrams of all the fire precautions displayed in each ward and building.

Load more