Rozelle Hospital

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In July 1976, Broughton Hall Psychiatric Clinic and Callan Park Hospital were amalgamated and called the Rozelle Hospital. This Hospital, of 600 beds, now provides a comprehensive psychiatric service to communities in the Southern Metropolitan Health Region. The original building, known as Broughton House, was built in 1840 as a gentleman’s residence on land that had been a Crown grant to John Austen in 1819. This building was first used as a hospital and convalescent home by the army during World War I.

In 1921 new wards were built, and Broughton Hall was established as a psychiatric hospital. Sydney Evan-Jones was appointed as the first Medical Superintendent and also as a member of the teaching staff of the University. Broughton Hall rapidly became an important centre of teaching both in neurology and psychiatry.

In 1956, W. H. Trethowan was appointed to the Chair of Psychiatry and also became Clinical Director of Broughton Hall. These appointments were subsequently held by D. C. Maddison until 1974 and currently by P. J. V. Beumont. These appointments have stimulated further developments at the Hospital, most particularly in the form of teaching programmes for medical undergraduates and post-graduate students training to become psychiatrists. The postgraduate unit for the University was opened at the Hospital in 1957 with Maddison as Senior Lecturer. He was succeeded first by Associate Professor I. Pilowsky and later by Associate Professor G. Johnson.

Teaching facilities were expanded again in 1963 with the building of an enlarged outpatient area, day hospital and the Evan-Jones Lecture Theatre and group-room complex. The undergraduate teaching unit was built in 1973 with sophisticated audio and closed-circuit television facilities, library and classrooms.

The current clinical services comprise four admission wards for acute adult patients, special units for the treatment of alcohol and drug-dependent persons, a brain-damage unit, psychogeriatric units and a comprehensive rehabilitation service for chronically disturbed patients. There are also some six wards for patients who are war veterans. All units of the Hospital have close links with community health centres and other health services within the region.

Source: L. H. Barnes,"Sydney University Medical Society" in Young J, Sefton A and Webb N, Centenary Book of the University of Sydney Faculty of Medicine. Sydney University Press, Sydney.