The Royal Womens Hospital

Full description

In August 1856 a decision to establish a lying-in hospital was made at a meeting in the Anglican Deanery. Mrs Frances Perry, wife of Melbourne's first Anglican Bishop and a group of ladies joined Dr J Maund and Dr R Tracy and Dean Macartney.

At this meeting it was decided to name the Hospital the Melbourne Lying-in Hospital and Infirmary for Diseases of Women and Children. The hospital was established under the control of a Ladies Committee or Committee of Management, of twenty members.

They were assisted by a Gentlemen's Committee for reference and counsel in case of need. The ladies were hands-on managers, meeting weekly and assuming responsibility for admission of patients, staff appointments and negotiating contracts with builders and suppliers. In 1870 the Gentlemen's and Ladies Committee merged, although the Annual Reports continue to list the two groups separately until 1972.

The first premises were in a leased house at 41 Albert Street, East Melbourne.

In 1858 a land grant of 2 acres was obtained in Carlton. A new building was constructed and opened on 2 October 1858.

In 1859, the hospital commenced training of nurses and midwives. In 1865, training of medical students commenced.

On 19 December 1864 the Melbourne Lying-in Hospital and Infirmary for Diseases of Women and Children was incorporated under the provision of the Hospitals and Charitable Institutions Act (refer to Government Gazette 31 December 1864).

The Melbourne Lying-in Hospital and Infirmary for the Diseases Peculiar to Women and Children offered care to two categories of patients - lying-in and infirmary - the former being for obstetric or midwifery patients and the latter those with surgical or medical problems.

In the face of public attack over the high death rate among midwifery patients in 1875, allegedly due to the attachment of the Hospital to the Infirmary led to the opening of a new midwifery wing in 1888 - the Genevieve Ward Wing.

Midwifery and Infirmary departments were separated in 1888 physically and administratively and the Midwifery Department moved into a new building in Cardigan Street.

Also, that year the number of Honorary Physicians was increased from four to eight, four in each department. The initial appointments in the Midwifery Department were all new honorary appointments: Felix Meyer, M U O'Sullivan, J W Dunbar Hooper and G Rothwell Adam. The four original honoraries elected to remain in the Infirmary Department: G H Fetherston, Thomas Rowan, W Balls-Headley and S J Burke.

Names by which the hospital has been known over the years are:

1856 - c.1886: Melbourne Lying-in Hospital and Infirmary for Diseases of Women and Children

c.1886 - c.1888: Melbourne Lying-in Hospital and Infirmary for Diseases of Women

c.1888 - c. 1943: The Women's Hospital and Infirmary for Diseases of Women

c.1943 - 1954: The Women's Hospital

1954 - 1995: The Royal Women's Hospital (royal warrant conferred by Queen Elizabeth II)

1995 - 2004: The Royal Women's Hospital (as part of network) on 1 August 1995 the Women's and Children's Health Care Network (VA 5016) was formed incorporating the Royal Children's Hospital and the Royal Women's Hospital. During this period 1995-2004 the RWH continued to function under its own name despite legally being part of the network. Network records which only relate to Royal Women's Hospital functions are attributed to the RWH provenance.

Records created at the executive level which relate to both hospitals are attributed to the Women's and Children's Health Care Network / Women's and Children's Health provenance.

The provenance "Royal Women's Hospital" is given to all records of this hospital from 1856 to the present.

2004 - present: The Royal Women's Hospital (fully independent again). On 1 July 2004, Women's and Children's Health Care Network was disaggregated and the hospital was again established as an independent health service with its own Board of Directors.