Record series
Patient Clinical Case Notes
VPRS 18103
1912 - 1957
Closed, Open
North Melbourne
Agencies
This record series was created by:
Agencies responsible for this record series: Department of Health and Human Services ( VA 5037 ): 2015 - present
Date Range
Series date range: 1912 - 1957
Series in custody:
1912 - 1957
Contents in custody:
1891 - 1966
Function / Content
This series consists of clinical case notes of patients of Beechworth Hospital for the Insane (1912 - 1934) and Beechworth Mental Hospital (1934 - 1957). Each patient admitted was required by legislation to have a record created which documented their case history from time of admission to discharge or death.The format of patient case records was previously bound case books (see VPRS 7395 Case Books of Male Patients and VPRS 7396 Case Books of Female Patients). Up until 1912, separate Case Books were maintained for male and female patients. From 1912, Patient Clinical Case Notes were maintained for male and female patients in a single sequence.
This series consists of loose-leaf four-sided folios. The front cover of the folios include: patient name; admission dates; trial leave dates; dates boarded out; date of discharge or date of death. The inside pages detail: all available personal details; admission details; medical details; as well as running notes by staff on the patient's condition and treatment. Some also contain photographs of the patients.
Depending on record format and patient circumstances, the clinical case notes can also include a Statement of Personal Details, superintendent's examinations, special investigations, physical examination, psychiatric history, psychiatric examination, nursing notes and special treatments.
The detail provided in these case notes varies from patient to patient with some giving a full account of the patient while others contain limited information.
The subsequent series to this series is VPRS 18104 Patient Case Histories. Some clinical case note files can be found in VPRS 18104 as they were likely referred to after the transition to patient case histories.
How to use the records
Refer to the list/s of records for this series.Recordkeeping system
Please note that although all files are listed, some are movement cards only. The movement cards indicate that a patient's file has been removed prior to transfer to PROV and their current location is unknown as of 2022. Also refer to VPRS 18104 as some may have been filed amongst the patient case histories.The records are randomly arranged within boxes under an alphabetical by surname heading.
Please note files may feature labels from a numbering system imposed by the controlling Department generated from TRIM electronic document and records management system. This system does not reflect the original recordkeeping system of the series.
In the instances where documents have been added to a file after the discharge or death of a patient (such as Freedom of Information requests or file movement dates), the file may have the incorrect date range and therefore, does not reflect the files contents.
