Royal Melbourne Hospital

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Royal Melbourne Hospital

• The Royal Melbourne Hospital (The RMH)
• Melbourne Hospital, 1848-1935
• Royal Melbourne Hospital, 1935- present
• Melbourne Health, 2000- present

• Medical

The Royal Melbourne Hospital is Victoria's oldest public hospital and a part of the Melbourne Health. For brief hospital histories see: https://www.thermh.org.au/about/our-history

The Archives collects records relating to:

• The Royal Melbourne Hospital (Melbourne Hospital from 1848 to 1935)
• Melbourne Health
• NorthWestern Mental Health
• The Royal Melbourne Hospital - Royal Park Campus (the former Immigrants' Aid Society, Victorian Homes for Aged and Infirm, and Mount Royal Hospital).

Some records of the now defunct Essendon and District Memorial Hospital are also held.

Our major holdings include:

• Minutes and papers of the Board of Management and committees of the hospital and network
• Correspondence of the Chief Executive Officer
• Annual reports
• Senior medical staff minutes
• Building plans, specifications and correspondence
• Minutes, newspaper cuttings and annual reports of Hospital Auxiliaries
• Papers, reports, brochures on the history of RMH nursing and nurse education
• Newspaper cuttings and publicity material
• Minutes of hospital related medical research foundations
• Reports and correspondence of hospital departments
• Photographs of staff, services and departments
• Medical/surgical instruments, equipment and memorabilia
• Oral histories
• Essendon and District Memorial Hospital Minutes of Board Committees and annual reports
• Minutes, annual reports and incomplete patient admittance registers are also held for the predecessor institutions to the RMH’s Royal Park Campus, including:

+ the Immigrants’ Aid Society (existed 1853-1902)
+ Victorian Homes for Aged and Infirm (existed 1902-1925)
+ Mount Royal Hospital (existed 1939-1991)

Patient medical records from 1856 to1910 are controlled by the Archives. Some original volumes of patient records from this period have been sent to the Public Record Office Victoria. Indices to these records are held within the RMH Archives.

Patient records after 1910 are not held in RMH Archives and all enquiries to access these records should be made to the hospital's Freedom of Information Unit via: FOIrequest@mh.org.au, see https://www.thermh.org.au/patients-visitors/coming-hospital/medical-records

Selected historical publications include:

• Portraits of Care: A Pictorial Journey of the Royal Melbourne Hospital: Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow, published 2014
• The Ever Open Door: A history of the Royal Melbourne Hospital, published 1998
• Being There: Nursing at ‘the Melbourne’: Victoria’s first hospital, published 2005
• Mount Royal: A Social History, published 1981
• Memories Book – The Royal Melbourne Hospital Kiosk Auxiliary Volunteers, published 2010
• A Pillar in the House of Healing – a history of the RMH Auxiliaries, 1922-2002

To purchase or download publications see: https://www.thermh.org.au/about/about-rmh/our-history/historical-publications

Access to the Archives is by appointment only.

Advance notice of a visit is required. An Access Agreement must be signed at the time of your initial visit. Access to records is determined in accordance with government legislation and guidelines, including the Public Records Act 1973 (Vic) and privacy legislation. Some records may be closed to the public.
All enquiries should be made via our online form at: https://www.thermh.org.au/about/about-rmh/our-archives

For public transport options to the RMH-Royal Park Campus see: https://www.thermh.org.au/patients-visitors/coming-hospital/public-transport-royal-park-campus
For parking options at the RMH-Royal Park Campus, including a site map see: https://www.thermh.org.au/patients-visitors/coming-hospital/parking-near-royal-park-campus
For access for people with disabilities, including a site map see: https://www.thermh.org.au/patients-visitors/coming-hospital/access-royal-park-campus-people-disabilities

General reference assistance is available to visitors to Archives. Fees are levied for archives staff to undertake research or supply archival material for research purposes on behalf of researchers. For fees and an online enquiry form see: https://www.thermh.org.au/about/about-rmh/our-archives

Photocopying services are available.
Image reproduction fees are charged for the supply of photographic images and license fees for the use of photos for publication or commercial purposes may also be levied. For fees see: https://www.thermh.org.au/about/about-rmh/our-archives

Revise 28 March 2018

• Medicine and Health (Thematic area)