NRS-23957 | Register of patients and admissions books [Rydalmere Hospital]

Full description

This series comprises volumes which record the details of patients admitted to the hospital. The information recorded includes number on register, number for the year, sex, age, occupation, nativity, residence, profession of religion, how sent, form of mental disorder, previous attacks, and time in hospital. The patients are usually given a sequential patient number on admission. If they have been previously admitted to a mental hospital, that may be noted in the register.

The first register includes patients previously admitted to Parramatta Mental Hospital as early as 1849.

The first group of patients (all male) admitted to Rydalmere (register no. 1-126) have the same admission date, 1/09/1891. Their original admission date to Parramatta Mental Hospital is also noted. The first group of female patients admitted (register no. 372-391) all have the admission date, 17/12/1894.

After the pronouncement of the 1958 Mental Health Act slight changes were made to the admissions registers. In the 1958 Mental Health Act, the differences between types of mental health patients - Temporary, Voluntary and Continued Treatment - were defined and clarified. As such, registers began to differentiate between these three categories of patients. A patient, for example, may have entered the hospital in 1959 as a Voluntary patient and be given a V number, before being assessed and declared a Temporary Patient and given a T number. After 6 months, the patient could be designated a Continued Treatment Patient (and be given a new patient number with the prefix CT) after assessment by The Mental Health Tribunal (constituted under section 13 of the Mental Health Act). Given this change, after 1959 admission registers began to include several lists of patients in the one volume. In the period c1960 there can be multiple lists of patients with specific numbers e.g. A list of Voluntary patients with V number i.e. V1, V2 etc and a list of Temporary patients with a T number i.e. T1, T2 etc.

This form of numbering only appears to have lasted for a few years. In the latest volume, patient numbers appear to have been restarted from 1, so there is some cross over with the numbering in previous volumes. By this time, it appears that the hospital changed from the system of giving patients a new number each time they were reclassified e.g. from Temporary to Continued Treatment. It appears that the patient was given a number which they kept, and the prefix, e.g. T, V or CT was changed if need be.

The final volume has a slightly different format and begins with a separate list of men and women. The list is in alphabetical order and patient numbers start from 1. The information recorded in this register is slightly different. Details recorded include, name, diagnosis, classification on admission, due date for exam by tribunal, discharged to, and cause of death.

The series is arranged chronologically.

NRS-23969 is an Index to admission registers and medical case books [Rydalmere Hospital]