Board of Inquiry’s report of the Royal Derwent Hospital and Millbrook Rise.
In this section we will give you links to PDF files to read on-line. All the files published here are sources directly from the Board of Inquiry’s Report of the Royal Derwent Hospital and Millbrook Rise conducted by Magistrate Brian H Burkett. The report was ordered after it was revealed in the Tasmanian Parliament that the daughter of Darrel Smith had been found with a severe head injury and her mild “mental retardation” had become severe after the injury. The inquiry called 26 persons to testify and between 30-35 in reply to six allegations of mistreatment of patients. There are many newspaper articles reporting the events before, during and after the report was completed and can be found on the trove website. The report was printed in four volumes of which we have three available here.
It is suggested that to read these documents you right click the mouse over the desired document and select “open in separate tab” as each document is delivered in sections. This will help to access the next document in the section you are reading. Each file contains 5 plus A3 pages of document. You can use the zoom tool to see each page closely. Loading may take some time and the files are large.
This is the account of Patient “A” and is part one of the appendix of the Board of Inquiry report.
pages 1-10 , pages 11-30 , pages 31-40 , pages 41-50 , pages 51-60 , pages 61-67
This is the second of a three part appendix (yellow cover) and tells about Patient B aged 7 years.
” we saw the children in M Ward and they were unkempt, dirty, and smelly and there was a general stench about the ward. We actually stepped over a child on the floor whom we knew. The child had been at the Quindalup Training Centre some six weeks before. The child had lost weight and its hair was so dirty it was matted. Another child was sitting on the floor with blood oozing out of its mouth. There were no toys around for the children to play with. When the Sister asked where the toys were she was told they were locked away because the children would break them… “
pages 66-73 , pages 74-83 , pages 84-93 , pages 94-103 , pages 104-115
This is the account of Witness 9 who reported, while being on a practical student placement at Royal Derwent Hospital, witnessing a three year old child being smacked because he didn’t sit on the toilet as the staff desired. This occurred in “M” Ward. This is the final chapter part 3 from this volume.
Part 1 pages 116-128, Part 2 pages 129-137, Part 3 pages 138-147, Part 4 pages 148-157, Part 5 pages 158- 167, Part 6 pages 168-177, Part 7 pages 178-187, Part 8 pages 188-199
Complete book: Part B1 (blue cover)
” .. They had me by the throat and I was bruised all up the side there and I was that sore I could hardly damn well walk and I had jeans on … they we ripped off, and the buttons, there was only one button on and my bra were all showing you know. And when they got me across to A Ward I was thrown into a cell into a cell next to the visiting room, I was throw in there and left… “.
Pages 46-188 CLICK HERE
Complete book: Part B2 (terracotta cover) NEW (May 11th 2014)
•• I wish to make it clear from the beginning that so many of the staff of the Royal Derwent Hospital
have been kind. understanding, helpful and dedicated and for the duties and general work they perform. They are deserving of tremendous credit. Regretful is the fact that by activities and behaviours, misunderstandings, failure to correctly assess a patient’s limitations and such like, always appears to lead to undeserved and unwarranted adverse publicity which pervades the whole of the Royal Derwent Hospital .•• “
Pages 189-332 CLICK HERE
One of the findings stated that the staff were “doing a good job in very difficult circumstances” Two of the six allegations were found to be true.