VPRS 18458 Trial Leave Register for Recommended Patients, Mental Hospital

The registers in this series record information about Recommended patients from the Mont Park Mental Hospital (VA 2846), who were allowed Trial Leave during the period covered by the registers. The registers contain references to Recommended (R) and Approved (A) patients. A person could be admitted upon the recommendation of a medical practitioner. As soon as possible after admission the hospital superintendent was required to examine the patient and either approve the admission, or discharge the patient.The register entries contain the following information: name of patient, whether male or female, date of admission, period of leave allowed, name, relationship and address of guardian, and the date of return or discharge. In many instances the patient was on trial leave without the care of a guardian. They were domiciled at their own place of residence or in some other situation. In some instances the patient died while on leave and so was not returned or discharged. It was often the case that patients were on trial leave at hospitals, nursing homes, special accommodation homes or palliative care centres.Pursuant to Section 87 of the Mental Health Act 1959 (No. 6605), the superintendent of any institution could permit any patient to be absent therefrom upon trial leave or 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. The chief medical officer 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 thinks fit.Pursuant to Section 88 of the same Act, the secretary of each institution shall cause to be kept separate records in the prescribed form of every patient allowed by the superintendent to be absent on trial leave or on parole for a period of not more than seven days and of every person allowed on trial leave or on parole for a period of more than seven days.In 1971, the Mental Health Authority changed policy and began moves for each major mental health hospital to provide a range of psychiatric care to specified Victorian catchment areas. Mont Park was allocated short-term treatment at the psychiatric hospital and long-term rehabilitation at the mental hospital for the north east region, including Preston, Northcote and Whittlesea, and outpatient service at the (former) Ernest Jones Clinic.