Catalogue description General Nursing Council of England and Wales: Data Processing and Computerisation Records

Use of a computer was first seriously considered by the General Nursing Council (GNC) in 1966, primarily to handle examination candidates' papers, but no action was taken until 1970. In that year, the counting of votes in the two most complicated sections of the ballot and the sorting of Research Unit data were entrusted to a computer bureau. A Computer Liaison Officer was appointed to develop the computerisation of the GNC records. Price Waterhouse Associates (PWA) computer consultants prepared a systems specification for tender and a contract was signed with Singer Information Services Company (SISCO) in October 1971.

The records transferred to computer storage were:

• training school details
• the Index of student and pupil nurses
• examination candidates
• assessment candidates
• the Register and Roll

The Computer and Records Department was set up in November 1973, when data capture was virtually complete. It consisted of three sections: computer development, computer file maintenance, and record creation, comprising the former Index Section from the Education and Examinations Department and the registration and enrolment function relating to nurses trained and examined or assessed in England and Wales from the former Registration Department.

In 1976 SISCO was taken over by Unilever Computer Services Ltd. (UCSL) and International Computers Ltd. (ICL) and in 1980 an on-line maintenance system with database was introduced in place of the batch system with separate files. In May 1981 the Computer and Records Department was split into the Data Processing Department, dealing with all technical computer matters, and the Registration and Records Department dealing with training records, new registrations, records control and general services.