Royal Park Hospital history in brief
In September 1907, the Royal Park Receiving House opened, providing short-term diagnosis and treatment for patients – at the time the only Receiving House in Victoria. No person was to be detained in a receiving house for more than two months.
Two years later, in April 1909 the Royal Park Hospital for the Insane opened on the same site, providing long-term patients with accommodation and treatment. The Mental Hygiene Act 1933 altered the title of all ‘Hospitals for the Insane’ to ‘Mental Hospitals, hence it became the Royal Park Mental Hospital. The two Royal Park facilities operated in tandem for more than 25 years.
The 1950s and 1960s
In 1950, there were 201 patients at Royal Park Receiving House. Following the 1950 formation of the Mental Hygiene Authority, changes occurred across Victoria’s mental health services.
In 1954, the Royal Park was to operate solely as a Receiving House for short-term diagnosis, and the Mental Hospital for acute, long-term patients was to no longer operate.
Research into mental health also developed within Royal Park with the opening of the Mental Health Research Institute in 1956 and the Central Library.
Until 1958, Royal Park was dealing with far too many metropolitan cases. The opening of Larundel and the regionalisation of metropolitan and surrounding country mental health services greatly reduced the number of patients for Royal Park to treat.
Significant renovations took place at Royal Park throughout the 1950s and 1960s. Four large aluminium structures were acquired for use as the social therapy centre for the early-treatment unit, and were modified to also provide a ward for insulin patients. It was complete with its own kitchen, a patients’ kiosk, a laboratory, a nurses’ home, a staff cafeteria, a geriatric ward and a nurse’s training school. The major structure converted Royal Park hospital, previously little more than a boarding house, into a full psychiatric unit. Both the Mental Hospital’s Auxiliary and Country Women’s Association performed significant contributions by furnishing and improving the appearance of wards.
In 1961, the school of Royal Park was constructed, vastly improving teaching facilities and the school, which served Beechworth, Sunbury, Kew and Royal Park hospitals, and the intellectual disability colonies at Kew Cottages and Travancore.
Improving the facilities greatly enhanced the mental health services. In 1961 Royal Park had an adult outpatient facility and an early treatment hospital that also served alcoholics: in the early 1960s 40 per cent of men and 10 per cent of women admitted to Royal Park cited alcohol as the main cause of their illness.
In 1962, after the Mental Health Act 1959, the new Mental Health Authority named the facility the Royal Park Psychiatric Hospital.
In 1966, the Parkville Psychiatric Unit was opened under the auspices of the Mental Health Research Institute. Royal Park became the headquarters for these facilities and services.
Later years
Royal Park continued to develop and by 1975 was providing comprehensive short-term treatment for both voluntary and recommended patients. Royal Park had a large catchment area including suburbs from Altona to Essendon, Brighton through to Collingwood, Fitzroy, Coburg and Broadmeadows. Its outpatient services included Royal Park Outpatient Clinic, Clarendon Clinic and Elizabeth Street Clinic.
Royal Park provided diverse community mental health services within the context of Inner North and North West Community Mental Health Services. Royal Park worked with various mental health services such as Melville Clinic, North West Community Assessment and Treatment Team and Alexandra Parade Clinic, and had a pivotal role in delivering mental health services within a regional framework.
Royal Park was decommissioned in 1999.
Warning about distressing information
This guide contains information that some people may find distressing. If you experienced abuse as a child or young person in an institution mentioned in this guide, it may be a difficult reading experience. Guides may also contain references to previous views, policies and practices that are regrettable and do not reflect the current views, policies or practices of the department or the State of Victoria. If you find this content distressing, please consult with a support person either from the Department of Health and Human Services or another agency.
Disclaimer
Please note that this administrative history is provided for general information only and does not purport to be comprehensive. The department does not guarantee the accuracy of this administrative history. See Find & for more detail on the history of child welare in Australia.Sources
Department of Health and Human Services Records Management Unit collection registers and agency history files
Patient information
PLEASE NOTE: Patients could be admitted to a Receiving House for short-term treatment and care, but were not permitted to remain longer than two months.
Patients still needing treatment after two months could be sent to a Psychiatric Hospital, in the same institution/complex or another. Hence, there could be more than one set of records for any one person. Please check each location for former patient records.
List of records held by the department
For information relating to the central management of care leavers and wards of state, please consult the guide to Central department wardship and out-of-home care records. These collections date back to the 1860s and include ward registers, index cards and ward files.Reviewed 26 September 2016