 Castlemaine Benevolent Asylum |
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Two years following the discovery of gold at Mount Alexander, the first Castlemaine Hospital was opened in Gingell Street on May 24, 1853. The Hospital provided essential medical and nursing care and, in 1939, was relocated to new buildings in Halford Street where it remained in service until December 22, 1995.
Patient information from 1856 until 1940 is recorded in patient registers. Registers for Castlemaine Hospital and Castlemaine Benevolent Asylum prior to 1922, have been indexed and stored on CD held by the Castlemaine Historical Society. Information can be applied for through the Society as follows:
The Castlemaine Historical Societies charges for postal requests are $10.00 and payable in advance. The response will be in the form of a computer printout of all index entries related to the name requested. Please direct requests by mail with relevant fee and stamped self addressed envelope. Should enquirers require further (non-medical) research on the relevant person(s) or their family, Castlemaine Historical Society Inc. also offers extended research services. In-person researches, at the research centre, assisted by volunteer research assistants are available Tuesdays: 9.am.-3 pm or by appointment. Indexes can include all or some of the following information: Indexes for Castlemaine Benevolent Asylum only may also contain: Parents; Year arrived & Years in Australia.
Patient information after 1922 is held at Mt. Alexander Hospital. Registers with patient admissions for Castlemaine Hospital and the Castlemaine Benevolent Asylum/Home can include all or some of the following information: Name, age, address, admission and discharge dates, condition treated and Doctor. A minimum search fee of $25.00 is payable on application. Extended or detailed research projects may incur additional costs which will be advised to you prior to commencement. Research details (if not already enclosed) and a cheque made payable to Mt. Alexander Hospital for $25.00, should be addressed to the hospital as follows: Health Information Manager Further historic records are held in our History Room which is also open to the public for group tours and history presentations which can be arranged by contacting the Hospital on (03) 5471 1505. The FOI Act, 1982 provides patients with a means of obtaining information held in their own medical record. Patient medical records for Castlemaine District Community Hospital and Alexander Home exist from 1976 and are accessible through the FOI process provided that they have not been disposed of in accordance with the Public Record Office Victoria disposal schedule (PROS 99/04). It is possible to obtain photocopies or view the original documents via this process. All applications must be in writing and contain sufficient information to enable the hospital to retrieve the correct medical record. The FOI Application Form is available to download or you may choose to write a letter of application, which should include the following: Patient's full name / Date of birth / Address at the time of the hospital attendance / Applicant's name / Applicant's address and telephone number If you are applying for a medical record other than your own, the patient concerned must sign a written authorisation for the release of information from their medical record. If the patient is deceased, the enduring power of attorney or other lawful representative must sign the authorization. The original authorization must be sent with the application. (The last section of the FOI Application Form is for this purpose). Under the FOI Act, certain charges apply (current 1 July 2007) when requesting access to your medical record.
Reasonable charges for access other than photocopying may apply. The application fee must accompany your written request and once your request has been approved, you will be notified of the remaining charges. These charges must be paid prior to the documents being released to you. If you require the documents to be posted to you, an additional fee to cover the cost of registered mail will apply. You will be notified of the exact amount of these charges. In accordance with the FOI Act 1982 we have 45 days to process FOI applications, beginning upon receipt of the application fee.
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Castlemaine Historical Society Inc.