NRS-21257 | Patient records [Royal Commission into the former Chelmsford Private Hospital and Mental Health Services in New South Wales]

Full description

This series comprises various recorded notes on patients who were admitted to Chelmsford Private Hospital between 1962 and 1984. 

The series includes Nurses Notes, Day and Evening Books, Admission Registers/Register of Patients, Dr Bailey's exercise books, Appointment Books and staff message book.

Nurse's notes on individual patients start from 1965 to 1970 were generally a typed letter from Dr Bailey with patients name and date. Hand written notes by nurse with test results, drug chart folded inside an observations chart with a discharge date written on the outside. From 1971 nurse's notes are stapled together to an identification sheet which recorded name, address, next of kin address of next of kin, sex, martial status, age, date of birth, religion, telephone number, date admitted and time. ECT authorisation was originally a stamp stamped onto the form and later was included in the printed form for either the patient to sign as self or next of kin signed to authorise ECT treatment. Other documents included were drug charts, Mental Health Act 1958 as amended schedule 2 Medical Certificates I and II, hand written nurses notes on light blue paper that records observations of the nursing staff.

Day and Evening report books are contained in this series. From 1973 to 1979 these books report nurses' observations of patients throughout the day and night. Patient names were written down the left hand margin with an accompanying comment from the nurse in charge. Admissions and discharges were recorded at the beginning of each day and total number of patients were also recorded. There were photocopies made of these books by the Commission and these replace any missing books.

Admission books start in 1963 as hand written exercise books that recorded name, address, admitted, time, age, diagnosis, Doctor, religion, phone, nearest relation, consent to Bailey's treatment, discharged, res. for fees, no res. for personal effects. From 1969 the use of printed patient registers was adopted with the Register of Patients Private Hospital Act 1908 printed Form 12 used for Chelmsford Private Hospital. The information held within the registers were patient number which was stamped and written, Name of Patient, Age of Patient, Sex of Patient, Married or Single, Usual place of abode, Date of reception into Hospital, Time of reception into Hospital, name of Medical Practitioner attending, Date of leaving Hospital, Nature of any disease manifest at time of admission, short history of the case and signature of resident Manager was recorded up to 1977.

Dr Bailey's exercise books range from 1963 to 1979 and were hand written notes of patients who were admitted to Chelmsford Private Hospital.

Appointment books for Dr Bailey's private consultation rooms which were located at 'Park House,' 187 Macquarie Street, from 1971 to 1978 are held in this series. Patient names and their appointments were booked at a given time and some have brief notes with the patient's name. Appointments were held Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday with the first appointment usually at 10:30 am and the last appointment at 6:30 pm. After 6:30 pm urgent cases were seen or if instructions from Dr Bailey were given. A charge of "after hours" consultation would be given. Wednesdays were kept free for dictation and other matters such as urgent patients, so no routine bookings were taken. The length of consultations were one hour for new patients, half hour for routine bookings and quarter hour for medication checks.

These records were held in Chelmsford Records NRS-21259 3/-, 22/- and 10/- and were separated as a single series.