The State Records Office of Western Australia holds a collection of records created by Whitby Falls Hospital. This collection includes records about patients, such as admission and discharge registers, address books, medical journals, and case books. It also includes other administrative records such as visitor registers, financial records, staff roster and meal registers, correspondence registers, and farm records from Claremont Mental Hospital. The dates of the records in this collection cover the full period that the hospital was open.
Access
The majority of records in this collection have restricted access for 100 years after their creation, however there are some records with open access. Please contact the Department of Health Freedom of Information Unit for permission to access restricted records. For access to open records please contact the State Records Office of Western Australia.
Records
The records of Whitby Falls Hospital held by the State Records Office of Western Australia includes the following record series that may hold information about former patients of the hospital:
- Patient Admission Registers, 1897 – 1965. Contains details of the patient, date of and reason for admission, medical condition, previous admissions, observations, and date of discharge. These records are restricted for 100 years. SROWA reference number S2085.
- Patient Discharge Registers, 1904 – 1966. Contains details of the patient, their date of discharge or death, observations, and details regarding death & post-mortem where applicable. These records are restricted for 100 years. SROWA reference number S2086.
- Medical Journals, 1904 – 1966. Contains details concerning total number of patients in hospital, number under restraint, number receiving medical treatments, number of injuries and violent incidents, and general observations. These records are restricted for 100 years. SROWA reference number S2128.
- Patient Address Register, 1915 – 1965. Contains patient name, residential address, and date of admission. These records are restricted for 100 years. SROWA reference number S2169.
- Visitors Register, 1904 – 1970. Contains date of visit, name of visitor and patient, relation to patient, visitor address, and additional remarks. These records are restricted for 100 years. SROWA reference number S2170.
- Attendant Registers, 1912. Daily logs of hospital attendants’ observations of male patients, with separate registers for day and night shifts. These records are open access. SROWA reference number S2374.
- Case Books – Male Patients, 1990. Contains details about individual patients, including admission details and notes on physical and medical condition. These records are restricted for 100 years. SROWA reference number S2634.
- Various Records – Mental Health Hospitals, 1909 – 1955. Contains miscellaneous correspondence and other items from Fremantle Asylum, Claremont Mental Hospital, and Whitby Falls Hospital. The majority of these records mention or relate to individual patients. These records are restricted for 100 years. SROWA reference S4867.
