there was no significant change in the method of work during the year, while in Queen Mary Hospital medical social service was extended to patients in the nearby Sandy Bay Convalescent Hospital, who had previously been treated in Queen Mary Hospital.
119. In the Mental Health Service the demand for fully trained Psychiatric Social Workers and the scope of work at Castle Peak Hos- pital remained wide. In April, 1967 a system of carrying out social work on a referral basis was implemented and the follow-up of discharged drug addicts from Castle Peak Hospital was continued.
120. In the leprosy service methods of rehabilitation remained the same and co-operation with the Hay Ling Chau Leprosarium was maintained. Housing of leprosy patients and employment of cured persons remained important problems. In the fields of venereal diseases and dermatology, long interviews with patients were needed to release tensions and uncover hidden anxieties which play so important a part in some dermatological conditions. In other specialist sections such as ophthalmology, the Medical Social Workers worked on the referral system, and constantly pruned their activities in order to obtain the best possible results.
121. In staff training two medical social workers returned from and another medical social worker left for overseas training during the year. In staff training locally, full use has been made of Extra-Mural Courses, several of which have been designed especially for social workers. Medical Social Workers continued to give lectures in the course of training of nurses, physiotherapists and medical students, and all possible assistance was given to the two universities in the training of university social work students.
PHYSIOTHERAPY
(See table 62)
122. Demand for physiotherapy services continues to rise, and there is increasing concentration on education and training of the handicapped in re-adapting themselves to day-to-day activities. Some new activities were started during the year in conjunction with the Occupational Therapists for permanently handicapped patients, especially paraplegic patients. These activities include indoor bowling and archery.
123. The Physiotherapy Training School had no intake of new students during the year partly due to shortage of space. 19 students
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are under training at the school, including four male students. The students are making satisfactory progress in their training and they have made themselves useful in the departments where they are able to put their training into practice.
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
(See table (3)
124. Owing to the pressure on the acute hospitals and to the resulting short patient-stay, the main energics of the Occupational Therapy sub- department are concentrated on the hospitals for long-term patients. particularly the Castle Peak Hospital for psychiatric cases. Progress has however been considerably handicapped by difficulties in recruitment of trained staff.
125. At Castle Peak Hospital the department continued to provide a diverse programme of treatment covering work, recreation and group social activities for a daily average of 900 patients. Industrial "out- work', consisting of contracts with factories, continues as a valuable adjunct to the treatment programme and is being expanded, and Govern- ment orders for domestic, hospital and office equipment continued. In the Hong Kong Psychiatric Centre a carefully planned programme of rehabilitation is also carried out for patients attending the centre.
126. The occupational therapy sub-department at Yau Ma Tei Psychiatric Centre was opened in June, 1967. Patients treated at this department consist of two main categories, namely, those discharged from Castle Peak Hospital who need a short follow-up in a Day Psychiatric Centre to aid their rehabilitation and those requiring closer observation and assessment as out-patients. Patients in the latter group are generally children and young adolescents in the early stage of illness whose pattern of behaviour needs close observation.
127. Work in the Kowloon Jockey Club Rehabilitation Centre showed a further increase during the year and the aim of treatment in the centre is to assist in returning patients to their previous employment, or where this is not possible, to an alternative means of livelihood. The ward work in the Kowloon Hospital itself has progressed satisfactorily as demonstrated by the appreciable increase in the total number of treatments given during the year.
128. The Occupational Therapy Units at Queen Elizabeth, Queen Mary and Lai Chi Kok Hospitals continued their activities and treat-
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