NRS-5151 | Certification case files

Full description

This series consists of certification case files of persons transferred from other mental institutions to Rydalmere Psychiatric Hospital. Rydalmere Hospital offered psychiatric care to patients under the Lunacy Act, 1898 (Act No.45, 1898) as amended by the Lunacy Amendment Act, 1934 (Act No.39, 1934); and subsequently under the Mental Health Act, 1958 (Act No.45, 1958) and later legislation.

Although the contents of the files vary, all files contain the certificate of certification in accordance with the Lunacy Act of 1878, Second, Third or Fourth Schedule; the statement in accordance with the Lunacy Act of 1878, Fifth Schedule; clinical notes recording the medical history of the patient before, on and after admission to Rydalmere, and a list recording names, addresses and relationship of family members and/or friends. The date of the transfer is usually recorded on the front of the file. Some of the admission forms also have handwritten notes detailing the patient's number in register and medical case book volume and folio number.

Additional correspondence relates to notification of transfers of the patient; notification of death; funeral arrangements; disbursement of patient's estate; notification to family of patient's condition; and inquiries by family members and/or friends of patient's condition.

The contents in container NRS-5151-1-[19/15846] are arranged alphabetically by surname, while the contents in container NRS-5151-2-1 are arranged by registration number.

There are significant gaps in this series. Content dates of some files pre-date the opening of Rydalmere Hospital for the Insane (1892), as they relate to patients received from other mental health institutions, including Callan Park, Cooma, Gladesville, Kenmore, and Parramatta.

Custody History
Contents in container NRS-5151-2-1 were in the custody of Western Sydney Intellectual Disability Support Group Inc. as an archival estray, and were donated to the State Records Authority of New South Wales in September 2007. They were accessioned into the State Archives Collection as NUA 423, Patient files from Rydalmere Psychiatric Hospital and Parramatta Psychiatric Centre, 1890s - 1920s, and could have been previously cited as such in notes by researchers or in publications or in unpublished works.

(19/15846; NRS-5151-2-1). 2 boxes.