The Park Centre for Mental Health

The Park Centre for Mental Health Treatment, Research & Education
Queensland Health
The original Woogaroo Lunatic Asylum building still stands on the grounds of the centre
Geography
Location	Wacol, Queensland, Queensland, Australia
Coordinates	27.5999 S, 152.910166 E
Organisation
Care system	Medicare
Type	Secure psychiatric facility
Services
Emergency department	no emergency services
Beds	192
History
Opened	1865
Links
Website	Official Website

The Park Centre for Mental Health is a heritage-listed psychiatric hospital located in Wacol in Queensland and is one of the largest psychiatric hospitals in Australia. The hospital provides a range of mental health services, including extended inpatient care, mental health research, education and a high security psychiatric unit.

History

The facility, originally named the Woogaroo Lunatic Asylum, was first established in 1865 on a 120-acre horse stud farm owned by Dr Stephen Simpson. The hospital, consisting of one two story wooden building and four female wards, could accommodate 69 patients, with Dr Kearsey Caanan as the first superintendent. In 1880 the hospital was renamed the Goodna Asylum and in 1884 more buildings were added to the hospital to combat overcrowding.

In 1908 Dr H. Bryam Ellerton, the hospital superintendent, under the auspices of moral therapy, spearheaded many improvements to the hospital to provide a more uplifting environment for the mentally ill. In 1916 the hospital was again improved with the addition of a ward for those suffering a physical disease as well as a mental disorder. In the 1930s the hospital was again renamed the Goodna Mental Hospital. Dr Basil Stafford at the hospital led the way to reform of the Mental Hygiene Act (1938) and the hospital was reorganized into two units, one for the chronically ill requiring a secure environment and the other for acute and recovering patients.

In 1959 the hospital was once again renamed the Brisbane Mental Hospital and with the opening of new mental health facilities across the state, the focus of the hospital become long term chronic patients. Following the introduction of the Mental Health Act (1962) the facility was once again renamed the Brisbane Special Hospital and the name was changed again, in 1969, to the Wolston Park Hospital. In 1989 the John Oxley Memorial Hospital, a special purpose secure psychiatric facility, was opened on the grounds of the Wolston Park Hospital; it has since been demolished.

In 2000 work began on the Wolston Park Hospital Redevelopment, and in 2001 the hospital was renamed again to The Park Centre for Mental Health Treatment, Research & Education.

Facilities

The hospital currently can accommodate 192 patients through five clinical treatment and rehabilitation programs:

• 51 beds for people needing extended inpatient treatment and rehabilitation;
• 31 beds for people with a mental disorder who are also intellectually disabled;
• 34 beds for people requiring medium security inpatient care;
• 61 beds for people needing high security inpatient care;
• a 15-bed adolescent rehabilitation unit

The hospital does not provide emergency medical services, the closest general hospital is the Ipswich Hospital.

Heritage listing

Many of the original buildings still standing, built in the 19th and early 20th century, were jointly listed in the Queensland Heritage Register in 1992. Many of the buildings are still in use.

Staff

The hospital employs around 450 people, including 220 nurses and 20 doctors. There are also another 80 allied health staff, and 50 administration personnel. In addition there are 70 support staff, including maintenance, groundskeeping, security and laundry staff.

See also

• List of hospitals in Australia

External links

• Official site
• Several photographs of the older abandoned buildings on the site of The Park, on Panoramio