• Archival Collection

Records of Sunbury Mental Hospital, 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 number VA 2843

Records Location

Details

These records were created by Sunbury Mental Hospital 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 Sunbury Mental Hospital, including children and young people. Records about patients include admission and discharge registers,  patient movement and seclusion registers, patient case books and clinical notes, and observation books. The collection also includes records about staffing and administrative matters, though these records have not been included in the list below. Some of these records were initially created at Ballarat Asylum, and were transferred to Sunbury along with the patients transferred from Ballarat to Sunbury.

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 Sunbury Mental Hospital, 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

Admission Warrants – Male Patients 1879-1970 (VPRS 8259). Partially open access

Admission Warrants – Female Patients 1879-1970 (VPRS 8261). Partially open access

Register of Patients 1877-1970 (VPRS 8236). Partially open access, some records digitised and available online

Nominal Register of Patients 1877-1907 (VPRS 7428). Open access, all records digitised and available online

Nominal Register 1877-1903 (VPRS 8235). Open access

Discharge Register 1877-1970 (VPRS 8237). Partially open access

Admission Warrants – Voluntary Boarders 1915-1962 (VPRS 8260). Partially open access

Voluntary Boarders Register 1915-1962 (VPRS 8238). Closed access

Male Inebriates and Migrant Register 1952-1955 (VPRS 8233). Closed access

Admission and Discharge Register of Patients (Sunbury and Caloola Training Centres) 1962-1991 (VPRS 18174). Closed access

Nominal Register of Male Patients 1965-1981 (VPRS 18173). Closed access

Nominal Register of Patients 1971-1992 (VPRS 18175). Closed access

Patient Case Files and Medical Information

Case Books of Male Patients 1877-1912 (VPRS 7405). Open access, all records digitised and available online

Case Books of Female Patients 1877-1912 (VPRS 7406). Open access, all records digitised and available online

Annual Examination of Patients Registers 1889-1912 (VPRS 7411). Open access

Post Mortem Notes 1906-1921 (VPRS 8258). Open access

Patient Files Male 1912-1956 (VPRS 8244). Partially open access

Patient Files Female 1912-1956 (VPRS 8245). Partially open access

Index to Patient Files (Male Division) 1912-1928 (VPRS 8232). Open access, all records digitised and available online

E.C.T (Electro Convulsive Therapy) Book 1964-1969 (VPRS 8248). Closed access

Patient Movement/Leave Registers

Trial Leave Register 1878-1988 (VPRS 8240). Partially open access

Restraint and Seculsion Register 1879-1948 (VPRS 8256). Partially open access

Boarded Out Register 1890-1954 (VPRS 8239). Patrially open access

Leave of Absence Register 1962-1970 (VPRS 8243). Closed access

Trial Leave Register – Training Centre 1962-1972 (VPRS 8241). Closed access

Register of Transfers 1963-1985 (VPRS 8234). Closed access

Leave of Absence Registers – Training Centre 1964-1984 (VPRS 8242). Closed access

Other Patient Records

Medical Journals 1877-1952 (VPRS 8257). Partially open access, some records digitised and available online

Nursing Report Books – Female – Training Centre 1963-1975 (VPRS 8254). Closed access

Nursing Report Books – Male – Training Centre 1963-1975 (VPRS 8255). Closed access

Nursing Report Books  Male and Female – Training Centre 1975-1983 (VPRS 8253). Closed access

Further Records

In 2016 the Victorian Department of Health and Human Services published a guide to records of Sunbury Mental Hospital 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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