Rohde, Dr Peter

The following is an interim description which may change when detailed cataloguing takes place in future:

Please note that this archive is largely made up of patient data that is highly sensitive in nature. When the archive is catalogued, the patient data will require closure for the lifetime of the data subjects in accordance with the 1998 Data Protection Act. We anticipate that it will not be possible to make patient records from the archive available for research before 2055 at the earliest. For fuller information on how the library handles sensitive archival data, see our policy on Access to personal data within our research collections.

The archive includes:

Correspondence, personal notes drawn from patient records, administrative files etc. for St Mary Abbot's Hospital, Kensington, Banstead Hospital, and St Stephen's Hospital Carlyle Unit, c.1970-1988

Correspondence, personal notes drawn from patient records, administrative files etc. for private Harley Street practice, 1988-mid 1990s

Papers relating to Rohde's work as a consultant psychiatrist in cases of nurses' misconduct brought before the United Kingdom Central Council (UKCC) for Nurses, late 1980s-2003, and similar work for the GMC, 1990s. Also papers on Rohde's suspension by the UKCC on the complaint of 4 nurses, 2002-2003

Papers on CRISP, a computerised patient assessment system developed by Rohde, 1980s

Small amount of reference materials, own publications, own lecture notes, 1961 on

Please note that Dr Rohde's patient records are not the hospitals' official series of records, but copies or extracts made by Dr Rohde at the time for research purposes. London Metropolitan Archives holds the official hospital records for Banstead Hospital (including patient records, 1877-1977) and of St Mary Abbot's Hospital (including patient records, 1872-1958).

1960s-2003

Uncatalogued: 108 transfer boxes

The records were given to the library at Wellcome Collection in November 2010.

Peter Rohde trained at St Thomas's Hospital under William Sargent in the late 1950s, and in 1959-1960 ran a research project to follow up patients diagnosed by Sargent as schizophrenic. He worked as an army psychiatrist in Hong Kong, 1960-1964, running a research project looking at 3 groups (100 cases per group): (1) sick soldiers, (2) control group, (3) army prisoners. From 1965-1966 he worked in Australia, and from 1967-1970 at the Maudsley Hospital, London. Rohde was consultant psychiatrist at St Mary Abbot's Hospital, Kensington (now defunct), 1970-1988 and at Banstead Hospital (now defunct), 1970-1980.

The 1950s Mental Health Act created a revolutionary period in psychiatric care, with new models of treatment being developed. One model was the District General Hospital unit which provided treatment in a ward of the local hospital rather than in a psychiatric hospital, in order to reduce the stigma attached. St Mary Abbot's, Kensington ran the first District General Hospital psychiatric unit in London. It oeprated as a day hospital, but also had the flexibility to keep people as in-patients if necessary.

Dr Rohde worked very independently at St Mary Abbot's, but kept in touch informally with the Maudsley and occasionally referred patients there for a second opinion. He worked both in the hospital unit and on domiciliary visits. Patients requiring longterm care in hospital were referred to Banstead Hospital.

Dr Rohde was subsequently liaison consultant psychiatrist at the Carlyle Unit for deliberate self harm at St Stephen's Hospital, 1982-1988 (St Stephen's Hospital was affiliated with St Mary Abbot's Hospital but had no psychiatrist of its own). He then went into private practice in Harley Street, 1988-mid-1990s.

Dr Rohde also acted as assessor for the United Kingdom Central Council for Nurses (UKCC), late 1980s-2003. When a nurse was suspended for misconduct their case was shown to a preliminary screener to decide whether it was a health (usually mental health) or disciplinary matter. Mental health cases were referred to a psychiatrist for a full interview and assessment. Dr Rohde assessed approximately 400 nurses alongside his private practice. He eventually gave up his private practice to work solely for the UKCC.

Dr Rohde was suspended by the UKCC in 2000-2003 on the complaint of 4 nurses who alleged that his interviews were unnecessarily invasive. The case was rejected by the General Medical Council, and taken up by the British Medical Association with no conclusion. Dr Rohde decided not to pursue and retired fully in 2003.

This collection is currently uncatalogued and cannot be ordered online. Requests to view uncatalogued material are considered on a case by case basis. Please contact collections@wellcomecollection.org for more details.