Dictionary of Sydney

The Dictionary of Sydney was archived in 2021.

Royal Commission into the former Chelmsford Private Hospital and Mental Health Services in New South Wales 1988-1990

Royal Commission, better known as the Chelmsford Royal Commission, that investigated the use of deep-sleep therapy, a controversial treatment for psychiatric illnesses, between 1963 and 1979 at the Chelmsford Private Hospital in north west Sydney. The Commission was established after an investigation by the Sydney Morning Herald and was chaired by Commissioner Justice Slattery. It found that 24 people had died as a result of the treatment. Only four of the deaths had been investigated by a coroner. The report led to the treatment being banned and changes to the way coroners worked in New South Wales.

Position
1988 - 1989
Type

Chelmsford Private Hospital Royal Commission 1988–90 

,
2021

Conducted over two years from 1988-1990, the Royal Commission into Mental Health Services examined mental health services in New South Wales. The commission specifically focused on the practices of the Chelmsford Private Hospital psychiatric institution from 1963 to 1979.