in 1927 the hospital was returned to the lcc for use as a mental hospital. it was renamed the ewell mental hospital and under the mental treatment act 1930, became one of the first ever voluntary admission public mental hospitals. the lcc made special provision for patients with acute or recent illnesses to be admitted on a voluntary basis for no more than two years before being transferred elsewhere. medical students from various london teaching hospitals attended the hospital on rotation, while consultant staff from the hospital held out-patient clinics in london. the hospital also established a working relationship with nearby hmp wandsworth, providing treatment to prisoners with mental health problems when necessary.