VPRS 18131 Register of Patients

This series consists of volumes which recorded summary information about adults and children who resided at Kew Cottages (VA 2852).The exact function of these registers is subject to further research. "Permanent Resident Bed Capacity Book" is printed on the exterior of one volume. The actual function of the volumes however is not clear as they capture static information, comprising the basic details of each resident, and not the statistical, repetitive information usually linked to legal recording of bed capacity for residential facilities.The volumes are self-indexing, with a single entry for each adult and child, and are arranged in alphabetical sequence under the A to Z letter categories.The three volumes which seem to have been compiled at different times, repeat the same information on the long-term residents, and only differ with the potential omission of people deceased or transferred to other facilities.The volume entries were arranged in a single page column format, with the heading titles differing from volume to volume, but including the following details:- Ward / Unit (including in some cases a reference to the regional office which matches the listed address of relatives)- Full Name (including in some cases the section of the Mental health Act under which the resident was admitted)- Date of Birth- Religion- Date of Admission- Contact Details of Relatives (Name, Address, Phone Number)- Date of Death or Transfer to another institutionAlthough patient admission dates in these volumes extend as far back as 1910, the majority of admission dates in all volumes are for the period covering approximately 1940-1970. All units record details of male patients, however only volumes 1 and 2 record details of female patients.Volumes 1 and 2 contain a taped-in list of residents who were Wards of the State at the beginning of the volume. These contain the following details:- Name- Ward number- Parent's AddressVolume 2 also contains a taped-in sheet entitled "W.H.O. Classification of M.R.", which is taken to refer to the World Health Organisation's classification scheme for intellectual disabilities. The term "mental retardation" was previously commonly accepted but is no longer supported due to the negative connotations it carries. This sheet details:- A. Degree- B. Cause and Type- C. Additional ConditionsPatient entries in this volume contain classifications according to this scheme.Loose letters and memoranda regarding some patients are also interleaved in the volumes.