VPRS 18588 Trial Leave Register

Full description

This series comprises of a register maintained to record trial leave for patients at Larundel Hospital (VA 5082). A record was kept of every patient allowed by the superintendent to be absent on trial leave. Leave tended to be granted in blocks of several months, ending at the end of June or the end of December.

The register contains the following information:
- trial leave or entry number
- name of patient
- number in admission register and date of admission
- whether male or female
- period of leave allowed
- date for extension of leave
- date returned to Hospital (also used to record death whilst on leave or discharge whilst on leave, including relevant section of the Act), and
- remarks (used to record the name and address of the guardian to whom the patient was sent). In many cases there was no guardian as the patient was in their own care at their private address.

Pursuant to Section 87 of the Lunacy Act 1890 (No. ), the superintendent of any institution could permit any patient to be absent therefrom upon trial leave for such period as may be thought fit. upon parole for such period not exceeding seven days or with the consent of the chief medical officer for such longer period as was thought fit and could, from time to time without the return of such patient, renew such leave or parole. Likewise, the Inspector could of his own authority permit any patient to be absent from any institution upon trial leave or upon parole for such period as he thought fit.

Leave gave patients an opportunity to be released for a specified period into another person's custody, to test whether the patient should be discharged. Whilst a number of terms have been used to describe leave, essentially it falls into two (2) categories: 7 day trial leave also known as leave of absence or short term trial leave. As the name suggests it was leave granted for a specified period of time. The other form was trial leave or probation. This was leave granted for a substantial amount of time and was often extended. Patients were often discharged whilst on trial leave.