Novar Receiving House (1954–65?)

Novar Receiving House history in brief

During World War I, the old Ballarat mansion ‘Novar’ house, 109 Webster Street, Ballarat had been purchased by the Red Cross Society for use as a convalescent hospital for wounded soldiers. After the war, the building functioned as a private hospital.

By 1954, an outpatient clinic (‘informal early treatment centre’) of the Ballarat Psychiatric Hospital was operating at 'Novar' until it was sold in 1956. However, department annual reports indicate activity at Novar house in 1964 so it remains unclear under what arrangement the facility continued to be used.

Novar treated patients with cases of neurosis and mild psychosis as well as convalescent patients. It had an outpatient department that treated children and adults with physical treatments such as convulsion therapy, abreaction (a treatment for trauma), and prolonged psychotherapy.

Novar sometimes admitted children with complex issues. It also hosted a social club for outpatients and ex-patients to participate in social activities in the evenings. Novar was closed but it is unclear when. Afterwards, services were provided at the Norwood Outpatient Clinic.

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 the content of 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. For more information on the history of child welfare in Australia, see Find & Connect.

Source

• Asylum to community the development of the mental hygiene service in Victoria, Australia, E Cunningham Dax, Chairman Mental Health Authority, Victoria, FW Cheshire, 1961, p. 178.

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.

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.

Register of patients [Novar Receiving House] (1955-81)

Volume; Permanent

Content: This series comprises volumes detailing male and female patient admissions to Ballarat Novar Receiving House.
The register of patients volumes include:

• patient name
• sex
• occupation
• place of birth
• address
• age on first attack
• number of previous attacks
• name and address of relatives
• name of family doctor
• forwarding address for mail after discharge
• discharge date.

Entries are made chronologically by date of patient admission. The volumes are more informal than other registers of patient records as the records are entirely handwritten, and the format differs in that a whole page is allocated to record a patient's information.

A summary of names in order of admission is located in the front of most volumes. Admission and discharge information arranged by month is also located in the back of most volumes.

From at least 1845, at the time of the proclamation of An Act for the Regulation of the Care and Treatment of Lunatics (8 & 9 Vic c.100), public asylums and licensed houses were required to maintain a register of patients. Initially the register maintained by licensed houses was officially known as the book of admissions. In some institutions the register was also known as an admissions register or as an admission and discharge register, and these terms were sometimes stamped on the volumes.

Immediately upon the admission of a person to an asylum, the clerk of the asylum was required to make an entry in the register of patients. Details recorded included: patient's name; date of admission; admission number; date of last previous admission; age; marital status; occupation; previous place of abode; religion and the form of mental disorder and state of physical health.

Further details were entered in the register on the death, transfer or discharge of a patient. Institutions were also required to maintain a separate register of discharges, removals and deaths, usually known as a discharge register.

The format of the register of patients that was specified in a schedule to the Lunacy Statute and succeeding legislation changed little until the proclamation of the Mental Health Act 1959 in 1962. The record then became officially known as the register of patients and discharge register, and included information about the types of admission.

The following five types of admission were specified under ss. 41–49 of the Mental Health Act 1959:
Voluntary boarders (V) were those who entered the hospital at their own request or, if under the age of 16 at the request, of a parent or guardian, and on the opinion of a medical practitioner.

Recommended (R) and approved (A) patients were people admitted on the recommendation set out in a prescribed form, of a medical practitioner who had examined them. As soon as possible after admission, the superintendent of the hospital was required to examine the patient and either approve the recommended admission or discharge the patient.

Judicial admissions (J) were admitted or detained by an order made upon information provided on oath before a justice that a mentally ill person was not receiving proper care, or could not support himself/herself or had committed an offence, and had been examined by two medical practitioners.

Security patients (S) were those who had been detained in a gaol but were transferred to a mental hospital upon being determined to be mentally ill.

The register of patients and discharge register officially superseded the separate discharge register. However, some institutions continued to maintain a separate record of patient discharges, transfers and deaths.

Patient case histories: inpatients (c.1955-89)

File; Temporary

Content: Case histories of patients treated at Novar as inpatients. This collection consists of patient files from Novar Clinic Ballarat. Each patient file documents their case history from date of admission to discharge or death.

The files contain the following enclosures: statement of personal details; examination reports; any special investigations; psychiatric history and report; nursing notes; treatments; details if patient was boarded out. The files have been arranged in alphabetical order by family name.

Patient case histories: outpatients [Norwood, Novar, Parklands, Ballarat Base Hospital, Maryborough, Daylesford, Castlemaine, Creswick] (c.1957-90)

File; Temporary

Content: This collection comprises the patient case histories of several outpatient clinics, but predominantly patients from the Norwood and Novar Clinics, which treated both children and adults.

This collection consists of out patient files for those who periodically attended outpatient clinics within Ballarat psychiatric services for the following clinics: Norwood; Novar; Parklands; Ballarat Hospital; Maryborough; Daylesford; Castlemaine, Creswick.

The distinctive feature of outpatient files compared with inpatient files is that the outpatient files do not contain ‘date left’ entries (for discharge or death), as they represent the patients attending the day clinics. Some of the patients had previously been inpatients within the hospitals.

Files contents include: statement of personal details; reports of examinations and special investigations; psychiatric history and report; nursing notes; referral letters; assessments; monitoring; recommendations; tracking cards record previous admissions or visits; medication prescription cards. The files have been arranged in alphabetical order by family name.

Numerical books (1955-85)

Volume; Temporary

Content: Numerical books contain patient statistics, and sometimes staff statistics.

These include the number of male and female patients, the number of beds and patients admitted and discharged. [Records destroyed 2004.]

Register of patients: voluntary boarders [NovarReceiving House] (1955-88)

Volume; Permanent VPRS Number 17803 / P0001

Content: This collection comprises volumes detailing voluntary male and female patient admissions to Ballarat Novar Receiving House.
The register of patients: voluntary boarders volumes include:

• admission number
• name
• date of reception
• marital status
• age
• occupation
• address
• form of mental disorder
• period of residence agreed
• discharge/death details.

Entries are made chronologically by date of reception with each boarder assigned a sequential admission number. The sequence ends and a new sequence of admission numbers begins in mid-1962.

Records of patients in asylums were well controlled. For the most part patient records are arranged by the date of admission or date of discharge (including death). Some asylums, however, maintained a nominal register of patients, which can be used to access records by patient surname.

Admissions of patients were recorded in date order in registers of patients and patients were allocated an admission number. An index of surnames was often created to provide access to the entries. The admission warrants authorising the committal of the patients to the asylum were filed by admission number and hence are also chronologically arranged by date of admission.

Case histories were recorded on each patient. Initially the case histories were entered in bound volumes, known as case books, in order of date of admission (admission number order). A separate index to the case books was sometimes maintained. From 1912, loose-leaf folios were used. Known as patient clinical notes, the folios were transferred as patients moved between asylums. The notes were ultimately filed alphabetically by surname according to the year of final discharge or death. Patient files succeeded the patient clinical notes in 1953 and were controlled and arranged in the same manner.

Routine examinations of patients were recorded in annual and five-yearly examination registers. Entries in these registers are usually either by date of examination or by date of admission. The volumes are often self-indexing.

The discharge, transfer or death of patients was initially recorded in separate discharge registers as well as in the register of patients and the case histories. From 1962, separate discharge registers were phased out, although some asylums continued to maintain them.

Nominal register: voluntary boarders [Novar Receiving House] (1955-88)

Volume; Permanent VPRS Number 17804 / P0001

Content: This collection comprises a volume listing voluntary male and female patient admissions to Ballarat Receiving House.

Nominal registers usually only record the name of the patient, date of admission and date of discharge (including death). They often comprise a list of patients in care at a particular time. They can be used to access patient records if the date of admission or date of discharge is not known.

The records are arranged alphabetically by surname. Records of patients in asylums were well controlled. For the most part patient records are arranged by the date of admission or date of discharge (including death). Some asylums, however, maintained a nominal register of patients, which can be used to access records by patient surname.

Admissions of patients were recorded in date order in registers of patients and patients were allocated an admission number. An index of surnames was often created to provide access to the entries. The admission warrants authorising the committal of the patients to the asylum were filed by admission number and hence are also chronologically arranged by date of admission.

Case histories were recorded on each patient. Initially the case histories were entered in bound volumes, known as case books, in order of date of admission (admission number order). A separate index to the case books was sometimes maintained. From 1912, loose-leaf folios were used. Known as patient clinical notes, the folios were transferred as patients moved between asylums. The notes were ultimately filed alphabetically by surname according to the year of final discharge or death. Patient files succeeded the patient clinical notes in 1953 and were controlled and arranged in the same manner.

Routine examinations of patients were recorded in annual and quinquennial examination registers. Entries in these registers are usually either by date of examination or by date of admission. The volumes are often self-indexing.

The discharge, transfer or death of patients was initially recorded in separate discharge registers as well as in the register of patients and the case histories. From 1962, separate discharge registers were phased out, although some asylums continued to maintain them.

Warrants (1955-88)

Document; Permanent (Unappraised)

Content: This collection consists of admission and discharge warrants for persons at Novar Clinic Ballarat. A warrant is a legal document stating that the person’s admission was lawful.

They contain various forms and documentation, including: medical certificates; admission form; patients personal details; date of admission; reason for admission; any police reports; discharge date and details.

All Novar Clinic admissions are voluntary admissions. Novar warrants are arranged in date of discharge order and the box list includes date range of each box and admission number of each warrant.

Communication books (1963-88)

Volume; Temporary

Content: Records used to inform staff on different shifts of issues they need to know regarding the patients on their ward.

Contents can include messages, names of staff on duty, details of patient movements, names of visitors and patients' appointments. [Records destroyed 2004.]

Day/night report books (1955-90)

Volume; Temporary

Content: Records documenting occurrences on each ward and the general wellbeing of the patients. Contents include number of patients, a brief description of each one's condition and the name of the staff member reporting. [Records destroyed 2004.]

Minutes of social club meetings (1963-71)

Volume; Permanent (Unappraised)

Content: Books containing minutes of Social Club meetings. These give some insight into the club's activities.

The two social club meetings/minutes books detail social club meetings, which were held on a regular basis. Minutes from such meetings included the following details: meetings commencement; apologies; secretary’s report; treasurer’s report; social club fund; other matters. The volumes provide significant insight into the social activities at Novar which played a role in rehabilitating patients.