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Research in Other Countries => Australia => Topic started by: Voltaire1694 on Thursday 22 January 15 23:20 GMT (UK)
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Hello - Does anyone know of the history of an "Intermediate Hospital" or "Women's Intermediate Hospital" in Brisbane? Shows up quite a lot in Brisbane birth notices from the 1940s / 1950s and probably before then. A web search couldn't locate anything useful and it's such a generic title (as in an intermediate level of hospital health cover). I'm particularly interested in where it was, whether it changed name. Thanks.
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Might it be the Brisbane Women's Hospital?
http://www.findandconnect.gov.au/ref/qld/biogs/QE00458b.htm
I don't know that there would have been levels of private health cover (insurance) in the 40s/50s, though I know there were private hospitals.
I think the Brisbane Women's was the main public hospital at the time. Perhaps the "Intermediate" was a private maternity hospital, though you wouldn't expect to see many births in private hospitals in the 40s/50s, and you say you have seen a lot of mentions of the Intermediate. :-\
Can you transcribe a couple of examples of how the birth notices were worded please in case it is of relevance? (don't include names though as the people mention may still be living) :)
I will be interested to know if someone knows the answer to this.
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Yes, I think so Ruskie :)
"Women who want to enter intermediate rooms in the Brisbane Women's Hospital have to book
at least a month in advance.
COSTS £60 NOW
The Brisbane Hospital superintendent (Dr. A. A. Pye) said last night that the 200 intermediate beds
and 100 public beds were "always full." This also applied to the General Hospital's 1300 intermediate and public beds and the 230 beds in the Children's Hospital.
http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/article/50306155 29 Feb 1952 Courier Mail
PS, I am NSW born and raised, so I am not sure of the QLD health system in the post WWII era, but I know there were different levels of maternity beds in the public district hospitals of rural NSW.
I am an intermediate birth myself ;D ;D ;D
ADD I have phoned elderly female rellie, and she says "its the number of beds in the ward, and where the loo was located, nothing to do with the level of care from the doctors and nurses"
Cheers, JM
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Well found JM. :)
Funnily enough, I did write in my reply that I wondered if "Intermediate" was a ward, but I removed it. ;)
One of our rootschat members is/was a nurse in Brisbane and I was hoping she would spot this thread.
Yes JM, I thought that a private room would be just that - private. An intermediate room might have 4 or 6 beds (for example) and a shared bathroom, and public might have dozens of beds on a ward and shared facilities.
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I don't know that there would have been levels of private health cover (insurance) in the 40s/50s, though I know there were private hospitals.
I meant when you do a web search today for "intermediate hospital Brisbane" you get a lot of insurance plans!
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Can you transcribe a couple of examples of how the birth notices were worded please in case it is of relevance? (don't include names though as the people mention may still be living)
Certainly, if you go to the birth section of The Courier Mail on 27 September 1946 page 10 (http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/page/2013954?zoomLevel=1), you'll see about six of the entries as born at Intermediate Hospital or Women's Intermediate Hospital. There's one for Women's Hospital.
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Thanks so much for help so far. It looks like Intermediate might apply to the type of ward in the Women's Hospital, Brisbane.
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I don't know that there would have been levels of private health cover (insurance) in the 40s/50s, though I know there were private hospitals.
I meant when you do a web search today for "intermediate hospital Brisbane" you get a lot of insurance plans!
Ah yes, I see that now - misread/misunderstood what you had written.
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Can you transcribe a couple of examples of how the birth notices were worded please in case it is of relevance? (don't include names though as the people mention may still be living)
Certainly, if you go to the birth section of The Courier Mail on 27 September 1946 page 10 (http://trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/page/2013954?zoomLevel=1), you'll see about six of the entries as born at Intermediate Hospital or Women's Intermediate Hospital. There's one for Women's Hospital.
Good to see it in context. I think JM has answered your question. :)
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Well found JM. :)
Funnily enough, I did write in my reply that I wondered if "Intermediate" was a ward, but I removed it. ;)
One of our rootschat members is/was a nurse in Brisbane and I was hoping she would spot this thread.
Yes JM, I thought that a private room would be just that - private. An intermediate room might have 4 or 6 beds (for example) and a shared bathroom, and public might have dozens of beds on a ward and shared facilities.
You can be a public patient in a private room - many of the old style public hospitals (in the era under question) had a private room attached to each ward, for the very ill, or a troublesome patient, or a 'friend of the head honcho'.
There were some intermediate wards, but these days you can go intermediate in a public ward too.
It means you pay for your bed but not as much as a private patient does, and you can have your own doctor as long as he is recognised by the hospital, or you can have a hospital-appointed doctor.
In an emergency, public hospital is best - in a private hospital, by law (in Oz anyway) the staff can't give any assistance without direct orders from the patient's doctor. I once saw a patient nearly bleed to death because her private doctor could not be reached quickly ::) ::) ::) though this was in NSW not Qld.
Dawn M
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Thanks for the clarification Dawn. I knew you'd know all about it. ;)
It all sounds quite complex. I had heard that it is better to go public in an emergency though I was not aware of the reason why.
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Thanks Ruskie. I was wondering if you meant me ;D
BTW, on 22 Jan you commented:
"I don't know that there would have been levels of private health cover (insurance) in the 40s/50s, though I know there were private hospitals"
Well, there was private health cover in the 1940s cause I remember my folks belonged to the MBF.
Medibank didn't exist then. That was in NSW but I would presume it was national.
But it was for inpatient hospital care only - 'Extras' didn't come into the picture until later, probably the 1960s.
And I think way way back there was some scheme run by "Friendly Societies" which was some sort of cover for pharmacy (they used to run pharmacies) and I think maybe Private hospitals. Long before you and I arrived ::) ::) ::)
Dawn M
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Thanks Ruskie. I was wondering if you meant me ;D
Yes I was thinking of you Dawn. ;)
Thanks for the information about health insurance. Interesting. I'm sure it was a lot simpler then than it is now too.
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Hi, I was always told that I was born at the Mater Hospital, South Brisbane. Whilst researching my family tree, I discovered a newspaper (Telegraph) notice of my birth, listing the location as 'Women's Intermediate, Queensland'
Sadly, I left my research too late, and am unable to question any relative further on any of this.
I hope this helps in some way.
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Hi, I was always told that I was born at the Mater Hospital, South Brisbane. Whilst researching my family tree, I discovered a newspaper (Telegraph) notice of my birth, listing the location as 'Women's Intermediate, Queensland'
Sadly, I left my research too late, and am unable to question any relative further on any of this.
I hope this helps in some way.
What does your birth certificate say? My NSW birth certificate has the hospital listed under place of birth.