Registers of Voluntary and Informal Patients

The first two volumes contain patient name, date of admission, date of discharge and observations. The remaining volumes also contain admission number and sex. From 5 July 1948, when the hospital became part of the National Health Service, registers also record which Section (3/4/5) patients were in. Volumes are arranged chronologically and covering dates relate to the date of patient admission.

1863-1981

8 volumes

An alternative admission procedure to certification was introduced with the passing of the Act to make further Provision respecting Lunacy in Scotland, 1862, which allowed patients to be admitted for treatment voluntarily. Patients admitted on a voluntary basis retained their legal rights and could discharge themselves by giving three days written notice. Patients came voluntarily for treatment prior to the passing of the 1862 Act, but still had to undergo the process of certification. The first 'official' voluntary patient was admitted to Crichton Royal Institution in 1863. Until 1930 only fee paying patients could be admitted as voluntary patients. This changed after the passing of the Local Government Scotland Act, 1929, and the first rate-aided voluntary patient was admitted to Crichton Royal Hospital in 1930. By 1873 voluntary patients made up 38% of the total admissions to Crichton Royal Institution. In 1926, 75% of all private admissions were voluntary and by 1951 that figure had risen to 51%. Sections 3, 4, and 5 refer to Sections of the National Health Service, with Section 3 being patients receiving free treatment and Sections 4 and 5 being fee paying patients at various rates.

Enquiries for reproduction for commercial purposes should be directed to the Archivist, Dumfries and Galloway Archives and Local Studies

The papers are available at Dumfries and Galloway Archives subject to conditions of UK Data Protection Act 1998, Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 and NHS Records Management Code of Practice 2012. Subject to these restrictions, this material is being digitised by the University of Glasgow as part of a Wellcome Trust funded project. Material that is digitised will be accessed freely online through the Wellcome Library catalogue.