Valkenberg Hospital
Encyclopedia
The Valkenberg Hospital is a large, government-funded, tertiary psychiatric hospital
in the city of Cape Town
, South Africa
.
It is situated in the suburb of Observatory
between the banks of the Liesbeeck and Black Rivers, overlooking Devil's Peak
in the distance. Together with its associated psychiatric hospitals (Lentegeur and Alexandra Hospitals) it is the chief provider of specialist psychiatric services to the Cape Peninsula
as well as being a major specialist referral centre of the Western Cape
province.
It is the main teaching hospital for the University of Cape Town
's Department of Psychiatry and is also a specialised training centre for psychiatric nursing
(Stellenbosch and Western Cape Nursing Colleges).
purchased the Valkenberg estate with a view to building a reformatory
. This never took place but a "lunatic asylum", as it was then called, was established instead to accommodate patients transferred from Robben Island
. The island had initially accepted patients to relieve pressure from city hospitals such as the Somerset, but reports of unhealthy conditions, overcrowding, and high suicide rates resulted in the decision to transfer care of patients to the Valkenberg site.
On the 20th February 1891 the first 36 patients were transferred from Robben Island to the Valkenberg Asylum. This originally consisted of two racially segregated hospitals straddling the Liesbeeck and Black rivers. In the first half of the 20th century the hospital became formally associated with the Medical School of the University of Cape Town.
A famous patient was the poet Ingrid Jonker
who was admitted with depression
in the 1960s; she later recounted her experiences in several poems. Valkenberg Hospital features prominently in the troubled life of Tshepo, the lead character in K. Sello Duiker's novel, The Quiet Violence of Dreams.
In 1998 the hospital was threatened with closure with the intention of rationalizing services. However, this was met with vigorous opposition and after a lengthy discussion and consultation process; the decision was made to keep the hospital open but to consolidate the site and to reduce the number of beds.
In 2006, a new Admission Unit was completed with integrated High Care units for acutely ill patients. The need to develop a new high care unit derived from the unsuitable design of the previous wards, which had been in use from the early part of the 20th century. The old wards represented an outmoded and essentially custodial psychiatric practice that has no place in a modern, more humane service, adhering to the most recent developments in effective psychiatric care.
and the remainder still houses a small component of long term patients. With the exception of the Maximum Security Unit (Ward 20), all wards are located on the Observatory site of the Estate. It is envisaged that with the Hospital Revitalisation process about to start all wards will in future be placed on the Observatory site.
Patients who are admitted to the Valkenberg service generally suffer from severe psychiatric disorders, and those who are admitted to the high care unit are likely to have a history of the more severe forms of psychotic illnesses
associated with behavioural disturbances.
Patients at Valkenberg are either admitted on a voluntary, assisted or involuntary basis in accordance with the South African Mental Health Care Act of 2005. As such a few wards are isolated and these contain patients who are acutely disturbed and those who have been admitted for observation by the Magistrate's Court (e.g. Forensic psychiatry
patients)
Psychiatric hospital
Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental hospitals, are hospitals specializing in the treatment of serious mental disorders. Psychiatric hospitals vary widely in their size and grading. Some hospitals may specialise only in short-term or outpatient therapy for low-risk patients...
in the city of Cape Town
Cape Town
Cape Town is the second-most populous city in South Africa, and the provincial capital and primate city of the Western Cape. As the seat of the National Parliament, it is also the legislative capital of the country. It forms part of the City of Cape Town metropolitan municipality...
, South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
.
It is situated in the suburb of Observatory
Observatory, Cape Town
Observatory is a suburb in Cape Town, South Africa, bordered by Mowbray to the south, and Salt River to the north. The area is best known as student neighborhood, most of whom attend the University of Cape Town located close by, and for being the home of the South African Astronomical Observatory...
between the banks of the Liesbeeck and Black Rivers, overlooking Devil's Peak
Devil's Peak (Cape Town)
Devil's Peak is part of the mountainous backdrop to Cape Town. When looking at Table Mountain from the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, or when looking at the standard picture postcard view of the mountain, the skyline is from left to right: the spire of Devil's Peak, the flat mesa of Table Mountain,...
in the distance. Together with its associated psychiatric hospitals (Lentegeur and Alexandra Hospitals) it is the chief provider of specialist psychiatric services to the Cape Peninsula
Cape Peninsula
The Cape Peninsula is a generally rocky peninsula that juts out for 75 km into the Atlantic Ocean at the south-western extremity of the African continent. At the southern end of the peninsula are Cape Point and the Cape of Good Hope...
as well as being a major specialist referral centre of the Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
province.
It is the main teaching hospital for the University of Cape Town
University of Cape Town
The University of Cape Town is a public research university located in Cape Town in the Western Cape province of South Africa. UCT was founded in 1829 as the South African College, and is the oldest university in South Africa and the second oldest extant university in Africa.-History:The roots of...
's Department of Psychiatry and is also a specialised training centre for psychiatric nursing
Nursing
Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....
(Stellenbosch and Western Cape Nursing Colleges).
History
The present institution dates from 1891. (The name Valkenberg derives from the Dutch farmer Cornelius Valk, who established a farm the land on which the hospital is now situated, in 1720.) In 1881, the Colonial Government of the Cape ColonyCape Colony
The Cape Colony, part of modern South Africa, was established by the Dutch East India Company in 1652, with the founding of Cape Town. It was subsequently occupied by the British in 1795 when the Netherlands were occupied by revolutionary France, so that the French revolutionaries could not take...
purchased the Valkenberg estate with a view to building a reformatory
Reformatory
Reformatory is a term that has had varied meanings within the penal system, depending on the jurisdiction and the era. It may refer to a youth detention center, or an adult correctional facility. The term is still in popular use for adult facilities throughout the United States, although most...
. This never took place but a "lunatic asylum", as it was then called, was established instead to accommodate patients transferred from Robben Island
Robben Island
Robben Island is an island in Table Bay, 6.9 km west of the coast of Bloubergstrand, Cape Town, South Africa. The name is Dutch for "seal island". Robben Island is roughly oval in shape, 3.3 km long north-south, and 1.9 km wide, with an area of 5.07 km². It is flat and only a...
. The island had initially accepted patients to relieve pressure from city hospitals such as the Somerset, but reports of unhealthy conditions, overcrowding, and high suicide rates resulted in the decision to transfer care of patients to the Valkenberg site.
On the 20th February 1891 the first 36 patients were transferred from Robben Island to the Valkenberg Asylum. This originally consisted of two racially segregated hospitals straddling the Liesbeeck and Black rivers. In the first half of the 20th century the hospital became formally associated with the Medical School of the University of Cape Town.
A famous patient was the poet Ingrid Jonker
Ingrid Jonker
Ingrid Jonker , was a South African poet. Although she wrote in Afrikaans, her poems have been widely translated into other languages...
who was admitted with depression
Clinical depression
Major depressive disorder is a mental disorder characterized by an all-encompassing low mood accompanied by low self-esteem, and by loss of interest or pleasure in normally enjoyable activities...
in the 1960s; she later recounted her experiences in several poems. Valkenberg Hospital features prominently in the troubled life of Tshepo, the lead character in K. Sello Duiker's novel, The Quiet Violence of Dreams.
In 1998 the hospital was threatened with closure with the intention of rationalizing services. However, this was met with vigorous opposition and after a lengthy discussion and consultation process; the decision was made to keep the hospital open but to consolidate the site and to reduce the number of beds.
In 2006, a new Admission Unit was completed with integrated High Care units for acutely ill patients. The need to develop a new high care unit derived from the unsuitable design of the previous wards, which had been in use from the early part of the 20th century. The old wards represented an outmoded and essentially custodial psychiatric practice that has no place in a modern, more humane service, adhering to the most recent developments in effective psychiatric care.
Services
Apart from offering general in- and outpatient psychiatric services, Valkenberg has a variety of specialised units such as the Forensic Unit and Acute Admission Units. The hospital currently comprises 370 beds of which about 165 are dedicated to the acute psychiatric service and 145 to the forensic psychiatric servicesForensic psychiatry
Forensic psychiatry is a sub-speciality of psychiatry and an auxiliar science of criminology. It encompasses the interface between law and psychiatry...
and the remainder still houses a small component of long term patients. With the exception of the Maximum Security Unit (Ward 20), all wards are located on the Observatory site of the Estate. It is envisaged that with the Hospital Revitalisation process about to start all wards will in future be placed on the Observatory site.
Patients who are admitted to the Valkenberg service generally suffer from severe psychiatric disorders, and those who are admitted to the high care unit are likely to have a history of the more severe forms of psychotic illnesses
Psychosis
Psychosis means abnormal condition of the mind, and is a generic psychiatric term for a mental state often described as involving a "loss of contact with reality"...
associated with behavioural disturbances.
Patients at Valkenberg are either admitted on a voluntary, assisted or involuntary basis in accordance with the South African Mental Health Care Act of 2005. As such a few wards are isolated and these contain patients who are acutely disturbed and those who have been admitted for observation by the Magistrate's Court (e.g. Forensic psychiatry
Forensic psychiatry
Forensic psychiatry is a sub-speciality of psychiatry and an auxiliar science of criminology. It encompasses the interface between law and psychiatry...
patients)