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Transfer of Special Hospital Patients to the NHS

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

Susanne Dell
Susanne Dell*
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5
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Summary

In 1976, 163 patients were approved by the Department of Health and Social Security for transfer from the Special Hospitals to the open wards of the National Health Service. By autumn 1978, a quarter were still waiting for admission. Patients meeting most difficulty were the severely handicapped non-offenders, who were usually refused unseen on the ground that local subnormality hospitals were full. The role of the DHSS and of the Regional and Area Authorities was in general restricted to bewailing problems they could not help to solve.

Some two years after their transfer, enquiries were made in the NHS about the 105 transferred patients. Removal back to the Special Hospital had been requested for seven, and another three had been removed by the police and prosecuted.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 136 , Issue 3 , March 1980 , pp. 222 - 234
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1980 

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References

DHSS (1971) Better Services for the Mentally Handicapped. London: HMSO, Cmnd. 4683.Google Scholar
Hansard (1977) Vol. 941 14.12.77 (col. 880–6). Vol.933 16. 6.77 (col. 266).Google Scholar
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