Sunnyside Royal Hospital

Sunnyside Royal Hospital is a psychiatric hospital located in Hillside, north of Montrose, Scotland. The hospital was originally founded in 1781 by Susan Carnegie as Montrose Lunatic Asylum, Infirmary & Dispensary and obtained a Royal Charter in 1810. In 1948, the National Health Service 1946 (Scotland) Act brought the hospital under control of the Eastern Regional Hospital Board. Its name was changed from the Royal Asylum of Montrose to the Royal Mental Hospital of Montrose. In 1962 it became Sunnyside Royal Hospital and came under the jurisdiction of new management. During the 1950s and 1960s, the introduction of new drugs lessened the need for prolonged admission of patients. In addition, the Mental Health (Scotland) Act of 1960 also significantly altered legislation in respect of mental illness and reduced the grounds on which someone could be detained in a mental hospital. Currently Tayside Primary Care Trust has proposed a phased closure of much of the site.