Albert Kushlick (2 March 1932 – 23 August 1997) was a

psychiatrist A psychiatrist is a physician who specializes in psychiatry, the branch of medicine devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, study, and treatment of mental disorders. Psychiatrists are physicians and evaluate patients to determine whether their sy ...

best known for his advocacy for greater facilities within mainstream communities for adults and children with a

learning disability Learning disability, learning disorder, or learning difficulty (British English) is a condition in the brain that causes difficulties comprehending or processing information and can be caused by several different factors. Given the "difficult ...

Career

He began work in 1956 when he moved to London from South Africa. In London, he worked as a

locum A locum, or locum tenens, is a person who temporarily fulfills the duties of another; the term is especially used for physicians or clergy. For example, a ''locum tenens physician'' is a physician who works in the place of the regular physician. ...

house surgeon at

St Giles' Hospital St Giles' Hospital was a hospital located in Camberwell, London. History The hospital had its origins in the Camberwell Workhouse Infirmary which was completed in 1875. A large circular tower was added in 1890 and further ward blocks were complet ...

and later at

Fulham Hospital Fulham Hospital was an English hospital in the west London district of Fulham from 1884 to 1973. From 1957 onwards it was merged with the Charing Cross Hospital and gradually demolished. Charing Cross Hospital relocated from central London and no ...

. Between 1957 and 1958 he was a

registrar A registrar is an official keeper of records made in a register. The term may refer to: Education * Registrar (education), an official in an academic institution who handles student records * Registrar of the University of Oxford, one of the sen ...

South Ockendon Hospital South Ockendon Hospital (known locally as The Colony) was a hospital for patients with severe learning difficulties and for patients with major and rare mental health illnesses in South Ockendon, Essex, England. History The site acquired for the ...

, a hospital for people with a

mental disorder A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitti ...

. He was known for his work with the Wessex Regional Hospital Board, beginning in 1962, which called for move from a centralised system of

mental health Mental health encompasses emotional, psychological, and social well-being, influencing cognition, perception, and behavior. It likewise determines how an individual handles stress, interpersonal relationships, and decision-making. Mental health ...

treatments in large-scale psychiatric institutions to a focus on local community hospitals and

community-based care Community-based care serves as a "bridge" between orphanage and settlement house. Adolescents are placed in a family in their community. The guardians will provide individual care and nurture in the context of a family and community. This teaches ...

as well as making sure that non-

therapeutic A therapy or medical treatment (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis. As a rule, each therapy has indications and contraindications. There are many different ...

techniques were not used in new or upgraded hospitals. He also advocated the use of

halfway house A halfway house is an institute for people with criminal backgrounds or substance use disorder problems to learn (or relearn) the necessary skills to re-integrate into society and better support and care for themselves. As well as serving as a ...

s. He helped improve care for the elderly and those with disabilities for the Wessex Regional Health Authority and was an honorary senior lecturer at the

University of Southampton School of Medicine University of Southampton School of Medicine is a medical school in England. It is part of the University of Southampton with a site at Southampton General Hospital, offering 5 Medicine courses, all leading to the award of Bachelor of Medicine, B ...

. This move from a centralised system to local care units was replicated in many countries.

Personal life

Kushlick was born in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...

and educated at the Benoni High School in Benoni,

Transvaal Transvaal is a historical geographic term associated with land north of (''i.e.'', beyond) the Vaal River in South Africa. A number of states and administrative divisions have carried the name Transvaal. * South African Republic (1856–1902; af, ...

province, before studying medicine at the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( o ...

in northern

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

. He worked in a number of South African institutions, including the professorial units of the Princess Nursing Home and the Non-European Hospital, before leaving for London in 1956 after

the government A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state. In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...

threatened to imprison him for his work with the

anti-apartheid movement The Anti-Apartheid Movement (AAM), was a British organisation that was at the centre of the international movement opposing the South African apartheid system and supporting South Africa's non-White population who were persecuted by the policie ...

and

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kushlick, Albert 1932 births 1997 deaths South African psychiatrists British child psychiatrists English psychiatrists