AGY-6854 | Mona Vale Hospital

Full description

Mona Vale Hospital was incorporated on 21 November 1958 under the Public Hospitals Act 1929, added to the Act's Second Schedule under the corporate name of Mona Vale District Hospital. (1) On the same day, an order constituted the Hospital's initial Board of Directors as comprising ten members, four appointed by the Governor and the remainder to be elected by subscribers. (2)

Construction of the Hospital commenced in the second half of 1961 (3) and was completed during the 1963-64 financial year. (4) It was officially opened on 22 February 1964. (5) The new complex comprised a ward block with a capacity of 125 beds and all services facilities to support an expansion to twice that number. Departments included outpatients, casualty, pathology, administration and a nurses' home with accommodation for 125 nurses. (6) In 1964-65, its first full year of operation, Mona Vale Hospital reported a bed capacity of 151; 4,033 inpatients; 21,095 outpatient attendances, and 637 births. (7)

In March 1964, Mona Vale District Hospital was listed in the General Hospitals category as a training school recognised by the Nurses' Registration Board of New South Wales. (8) In July 1972, the Hospital was accepted by Sydney University as an Affiliated Hospital. (9) The system of Affiliated Hospitals, which were in addition to the existing Teaching Hospitals, was established by the University in 1971. (10)

In 1975, a major addition to Mona Vale Hospital was a paediatric ward (11) and, in 1976, the development of community health services began with the establishment of a geriatric and rehabilitation hospital day centre. (12) The range of clinical services and facilities were developed further and, by 2015, included child speech pathology; child and youth mental health services; drug and alcohol services; gambling treatment services; health lifestyle services; cardiac, pulmonary, chronic rehabilitation programs; diabetes services; oral health; acute post-acute care; aged care, rehabilitation services; an aged care assessment team; community nursing; a continence service; palliative day care; mental health services; dietetics; occupational therapy; physiotherapy, and podiatry. (13)

In 2009, Mona Vale Hospital was named 'Metropolitan hospital of the Year' in the NSW Health Awards. (14)

In 2015, Mona Vale Hospital was part of the Northern Sydney Local Health District and, with Manly Hospital, formed the Northern Beaches Health Service. (15) It was a teaching hospital of Sydney University's Northern Clinical School headquartered at the Royal North Shore Hospital. It had a bed capacity of 165. (16)

In connection with the construction of a new hospital in Frenchs Forest, due for completion in 2018, it was planned to close Manly Hospital with Mona Vale providing a range of complementary services. (17)

Endnotes
1. NSW Government Gazette No.117, 21 November 1958, p.3583.
2. Ibid., p.3593.
3. Report of the Hospitals Commission of New South Wales for the year ended 30th June 1961, p.5 in NSW Parliamentary Papers 1962, p.421.
4. Report of the Hospitals Commission of New South Wales for the year ended 30th June 1964, p.5 in NSW Parliamentary Papers 1965, p.199.
5. 'Mona Vale Hospital's Golden Jubilee' in Pittwater Online news, February 16-22 2014, Issue 150 (information sourced from Mona Vale Hospital Board Agenda 1982) http://www.pittwateronlinenews.com/mona-vale-hospital-golden-jubilee-history-overview.php (accessed 1 April 2016).
6. Report of the Department of Public Works for the year ended 30th June 1964, p.41.
7. Report of the Hospitals Commission of New South Wales for the year ended 30th June 1965, p.32 in NSW Parliamentary Papers 1965-66 Vol.3, p.29.
8. List of Hospitals Recognised as Training Schools by the Nurses' Registration Board of New South Wales, 25 March 1964 in NSW Government Gazette No.50, 24 April 1965, p.1302.
9. Report of the University of Sydney for the year ended 31st December 1972, p.9 in NSW Parliamentary Papers 1974-75 Vol.2, p.1541.
10. Report of the University of Sydney for 1971, p.10 in NSW Parliamentary Papers 1973 vol.2, p.1163.
11. Report of the Health Commission of New South Wales for the year ended 30 June 1975, p.45 in NSW Parliamentary Papers 1976-77-78 Vol.7, p.617.
12. Report of the Health Commission of New South Wales for the year ended 30 June 1977, p.57 in NSW Parliamentary Papers 1976-77-78 Vol.7, p.815.
13. Service Agreement between NSW Health and Northern Sydney Local Health District for the period 1 July 2015 - 30 June 2016, 17 August 2015, p.20 http://www.nslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/AboutUs/publications/Documents/Service%20Agreement%202015-2016%20between%20NSW%20Health%20and%20NSLHD.pdf (accessed 6 April 2016).
14. NSW Department of Health Annual Report 2009-10, pp.295-96.
15. Northern Sydney Local Health District Clinical Services Plan 2015-2022, 31 March 2015, p.6 http://www.nslhd.health.nsw.gov.au/AboutUs/publications/Documents/ClinicalServicesPlan2015_2022.pdf (accessed 6 April 2016).
16. Northern Clinical School About Us - Mona Vale Hospital http://sydney.edu.au/medicine/northern/about/hospitals/mona-vale.php (accessed 12 April 2016)
17. Northern Sydney Local Health District Clinical Services Plan 2015-2022, op. cit., pp.6, 51.