• Archival Collection

Records of Royal Park Mental Hospital and Receiving House, Public Record Office Victoria

To access these records

For records held or controlled by the Department of Health, please contact the Freedom of Information Unit, Department of Health:

Postal address: Freedom of Information Unit, Department of Health, GPO Box 4057 Melbourne Victoria 3001

Phone: 1300 020 360

Email: foi@health.vic.gov.au

Website: https://www.health.vic.gov.au/freedom-of-information

Reference Number

Quote this number to access your records: PROV Agency ID: VA 2845

Records Location

Details

These records were created by Royal Park Mental Hospital and Royal Park Receiving House and contain information about patients, staff, and administrative matters at the hospital. The collection is held by the Public Record Office of Victoria. The records contain personal details of people admitted to Royal Park Mental Hospital and Receiving House, including children and young people. Records about patients include admission and discharge registers, patient case files and clinical notes, patient movement registers, and nurse report books. The collection also includes records about staffing and administrative matters, though these records have not been included in the list below.

Access Conditions

The majority of the records in this collection are closed for at least 75 years to protect personal privacy. To apply for access to closed records please contact the Department of Health Freedom of Information Unit. Most records in this collection that are older than 75 years are open and accessible by the public. Some of these open records have been digitised and can be viewed on the Public Record Office Victoria website. For access to un-digitised open records please contact the Public Record Office Victoria.

Records

The following records in this collection contain information about patients at Royal Park Mental Hospital and Receiving House, and may include information about children and young people who were admitted to the hospital. More information about each record is available under the ‘About’ tab on the PROV records page.

Admission and Discharge Registers

Asylum Records (including Register of Patients 1907-1912) 1907-1968 (VPRS 7481). Open access

Nominal Register of Patients (Royal Park Receiving House) 1907-1934 (VPRS 7423). Open access, all records digitised and available online

Discharge Register of Patients (Royal Park Receiving House, Royal Park Psychiatric Hospital) 1907-1966 (VPRS 17891). Partially open access

Admission and Discharge Register of Patients 1909-1954 (VPRS 17893). Partially open access, some records digitised and available online

Discharge Register of Patients (Royal Park Hospital for the Insane, Royal Park Mental Hospital) 1909-1954 (VPRS 17890). Partially open access, some records digitised and available online

Nominal Register of Patients/Register of Section 88 Examinations 1909-1959 (VPRS 18435). Partially open access, some records digitised and available online

Admission and Discharge Register of Patients: Recommended Patients (Royal Park Receiving House, Royal Park Psychiatric Hospital) 1909-1991 (VPRS 17882). Partially open access, some records digitised and available online

Admission Index Cards 1935-1985 (VPRS18419). Closed access

Admission Index Cards: Male Patients 1934-1985 (VPRS 18420). Closed access

Admission Index Cards: Female Patients 1934-1985 (VPRS 18421). Closed access

Admission and Discharge Register of Patients: Voluntary Boarders (Royal Park Receiving House, Royal Park Psychiatric Hospital) 1942-1996 (VPRS 17881). Partially open access

Admission and Discharge Register of Patients: Inebriates (Royal Park Mental Hospital) 1945-1953 (VPRS 17883). Closed access

Admission Register of Patients: Immigrants 1954-1962 (VPRS 17884). Closed access

Nominal Register of Patients: Immigrants (Royal Park Receiving House) 1965-1996 (VPRS 17885). Closed access

Admission Register of Patients (Royal Park Psychiatric Hospital) 1981-1986 (VPRS 17892). Closed access

Admission and Discharge Register of Patients: Involuntary Admissions (Royal Park Psychiatric Hospital) 1989-1993 (VPRS 17916). Closed access

Admissions Diary (Royal Park Psychiatric Hospital) 1992-1996 (VPRS 17920). Closed access

Patient Case Files and Medical Information

Case Books: Male Patients (Royal Park Receiving House) 1907-1917 (VPRS 18133). Partially open access

Annual examination of Patients Register 1909-1912 (VPRS 7414). Open access

Case Books: Female Patients (Royal Park Hospital for the Insane) 1909-1912 (VPRS 18134). Open access

Case Books: Male Patients (Royal Park Hospital for the Insane) 1909-1912 (VPRS 18135). Open access

Case Books: Female Patients (Royal Park Receiving House) 1910-1911 (VPRS 18132). Open access

Patient Case History Files: Deceased Patients (Royal Park Receiving House, Royal Park Psychiatric Hospital) 1953-1996 (VPRS 18097). Closed access

Patient Case History Files: Female Patients (Royal Park Receiving House, Royal Park Psychiatric Hospital) 1954-1965 (VPRS 18095). Closed access

Patient Case History Files: Male Patients (Royal Park Receiving House, Royal Park Psychiatric Hospital) 1954-1965 (VPRS 18096). Closed access

Patient Movement/Leave Registers

Trial Leave Register and Register of Escapees 1909-1984 (VPRS 7454). Partially open access

Other Patient Records

Orders to Remand a Person in a Receiving House or Ward 1927-1953 (VPRS 17933). Partially open access, some records digitised and available online

Post Mortem Registers 1931-1952 (VPRS 7433). Partially open access, some records digitised and available online

Head Nurses Daily Report Books 1946-1967 (VPRS 7439). Partially open access

Post Mortem Registers [Pathology Laboratory] 1956-1966 (VPRS 7436). Closed access

Further Records

In 2016 the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services published a guide to records of Royal Park Mental Hospital and Receiving House as part of its Finding Records program. This guide includes information about some records that have not yet been listed in the Public Record Office of Victoria online catalogue. This may mean that these records are still in the custody of the Department, or have not yet been processed by PROV. For access to any records listed in the Finding Records guide that are not listed in the PROV online catalogue, please contact the Department of Health Freedom of Information Unit.

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