VPRS 18137 Seclusion Register

Full description

This series consists of Seclusions Registers which were required under legislation to document the instances of patients being put in seclusion whilst in the hospital. Seclusion is the confinement of the patient at any time of the day or night alone in a room or area from which free exit is prevented. Such seclusion could not be applied without the authority of the Superintendent or medical officer of the hospital.

The registers are in the form of small bound volumes. They list instances of seclusion chronologically, with each double page of the register being used for one week, with one of the pages for male patients and one for females. Each page is further comprised of a column for each day of the week.

The following information is recorded in the register: Name, Cause, Duration of Seclusion (in hours and minutes), and Total Period of Seclusion (by person, by week).

At the bottom of each page, there is provision for a weekly summary of information, as follows: Total Number in Seclusion; Total Instances of Seclusion; Total Duration of Seclusion; Average Duration of Each Instance; and Signature of Medical Superintendent

As there was a legislative requirement to maintain this type of record, it is presumed that the gaps in the chronological sequence are recorded in registers that have not yet been located.

Please Note: A Seclusion Book (register) for the period 1/10/1867 to 31/10/1868 is located in VPRS 7455 Asylum Records.