Cane Hill Hospital

The most senior member of staff at each mental hospital would be the Superintendent.

In overall charge of the hospital, the Superintendent was typically a medical man, and would assess each patient upon admission to the hospital. In addition, his duties involved ensuring effective operation, authorising discharges, and managing the staff beneath him, including the Matron, his female counterpart.

The Superintendent could have a variety of prefixes to his title, including ‘Chief’, ‘Medical’ and ‘Physician’. This varied over time, and between hospitals.

Cane Hill had 3 Superintendents:

Sir James Moody was the first, holding post from 1883 to 1915

George Lilly was the second, from 1915 to 1949

Alexander Walk was the third, from 1949 to 1962, when the post was abolished at Cane Hill

When the post was abolished, various other titles arose, including Chief Officer and Chief Male Nurse, although under the NHS, their responsibilities differed.