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The latter part of the 20th century saw a gradual shift in the provision of
care for the mentally ill from long-term internment in mental asylums to
psychiatric units in district general hosptials. This transition was
precipitated by health minister Enoch Powell's landmark 'water tower' speech
(1961), which called for the dissolution of old-style mental hospitals. This was
followed by the Hospital Plan (1962), which legislated the
de-institutionalisation of mental health in favour of more 'inclusive' approach,
paving the way for the present-day system of 'care in the community'. In line
with the mandated 'open-door' policy, the 1960s saw the growth of the day
hospital in the UK, offering care to patients with less severe forms of mental
illness. In this film the warm, club-like atmosphere of a day hospital in
Plymouth is showcased.
This protracted period of upheaval in care systems for the mentally ill and
the state of uncertainty and transition in psychiatry did not ease its
recruitment problems. Designed to entice career-minded school leavers into the
field of psychiatric nursing, Something to Offer side-steps the frustrations and
challenges inevitably associated with working with mentally ill people, instead
focussing solely on the positive aspects of the job.
Photographer Peter Jessop's unobtrusive camera moves among patients and staff
at the Plymouth Day Hospital, sensitively capturing an all-pervasive atmosphere
of complete calm and contentment. Over this, softly spoken trainee nurses of
both sexes list the rewards of the role and express their profound satisfaction
- to the point of glibness when one trainee comments, 'The real reward is when
someone comes in acutely ill and six weeks later he's well and you shake hands
and say cheers', which, in the interest of recruitment, suggests a kind of
'production line' approach to the complex process of mental healing.
The 'window on what's happening' style claims a certain authenticity but as
this is, after all, a shop-window for the profession, one can't help questioning
what is not being shown. It is striking how far the picture depicted differs
from highly critical contemporary reports. Allegations at the end of the 1960s
of maltreatment of patients by psychiatric staff tainted the profession and
prompted a public inquiry into the state of mental health care, which eventually
resulted in the white paper 'Better Services for the Mentally Handicapped'
(1971).
Something to Offer is a shortened version of On Hand to Listen, made for TV transmission (ITV tx. 20/10/1969).
Katy McGahan
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Complete film (21:20)
