Basics on Australian hospital admission etc records

The patient records of public hospitals throughout Australia are largely destroyed when they cease to be of use for administrative or legal purposes, or for medical treatment.

Records of a number of State hospitals, homes and asylums do survive, however, and are kept as State archives. These records are accessible through the appropriate State archival institution.

New South Wales

In New South Wales, this is State Records and its website has further information on this topic. Note that the majority of such records post-1890 are closed to public access. Details of how to gain access to the records are also available from State Records.

A project undertaken during the 1990s by the Department of Community Services (DOCS), traced the existence of post-1900 records of many hospitals and homes throughout New South Wales. More detail on the project can be obtained from the DOCS web site in the form of a 383-page book - Connecting Kin, A Guide to help people separated from their families search for their records. It contains excellent coverage for all of NSW and should be the starting point for persons who believe that they or a member of their family has spent time in substitute care. A copy of the book is available at SAG (SAG ref: B2/10/30).