Hampton Rehabilitation Hospital

Full description

Hampton Rehabilitation Hospital (VA 1237), originally known as Hampton Hospital, was opened officially by the Governor of Victoria, Sir Dallas Brooks, on 27th August 1959. It was formerly an orthopaedic annexe of the Royal Children’s Hospital.

Hampton Hospital was renovated and altered during 1959 to specialise in rehabilitation work. The Hospital was to provide rehabilitation services to bridge the gap between medical or surgical treatment in general hospitals and the return of the patient to their employment or home. The Hospitals and Charities Commission (VA 693) appointed a Committee of Management to establish the Hospital.

Provision within the Hospital was made for public, intermediate and private patients. It was anticipated that the majority of cases would be those resulting from road, domestic and industrial accidents.

The Incorporation of the Hospital occurred on the 15th January 1963 under the Hospital and Charities Act 1958 (Victoria Government Gazette, No. 5, January 23, 1963, p. 130). A Provisional Committee was elected on the 18th April 1963 to replace the Committee of Management.

In February 1966 a group of ladies formed an auxiliary to assist the Hospital. It was to be known as the Marie Breen Auxiliary, named after Senator Marie Breen. During 1985-1986, the auxiliary was reformed under the name Hampton Rehabilitation Hospital Auxiliary.

On 1st July 1969, the Hospital was registered as a Public Hospital.

At the 1983 Annual General Meeting of Contributors it was agreed that the Hospital should change its name from Hampton Hospital to Hampton Rehabilitation Hospital. The change was approved by the Health Commission of Victoria (VA 652) and registered. The purpose of the name change was to properly reflect the specialised nature of the Hospital's operations and to avoid confusion as to its role.
In 1990 the Hospital was recognized by the Council of Monash University as an Institution affiliated with the Faculty of Medicine of Monash University for the purposes of medical education at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.

In January 1995, the State Government implemented a review of Victorian Public Hospitals. The Government appointed the Metropolitan Hospitals Planning Board to undertake that process. The outcome was the dissolution of the Hospital’s Board of Management as was the case with all of the Hospital’s Boards in the Melbourne Metropolitan Region. The Hampton Rehabilitation Hospital joined the Southern Health Care Network (SHCN) (VA 5264) (Victoria Government Gazette, No. G 29, 27 July 1995, pp. 1980-1981), which later became Southern Health and subsequently Monash Health.