Catalogue description Records of Health Divisions

There was little administrative change in the creation and maintenance of the records of the Health Divisions on their transference to Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS) in 1968; their files continued to be registered in the same file office series as had been employed in the Ministry of Health. The file office series remained in use in DHSS until the decentralisation of its registries in 1979.

On the merger of the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Security in 1968, the Health Divisions of the Ministry of Health were transferred to the new Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS) without reorganisation, apart from some relatively minor changes.

The three Hospital and Specialist Services Divisions maintained their individual responsibilities: the first and second divisions dealt with specific geographic hospital regions and services to hospitals; the second division also dealt with special hospitals and the Public Health Laboratory Service; the third division was concerned with hospital building and land.

General medical, dental, pharmaceutical and ophthalmic services were overseen by the Executive Councils Division. Health and welfare services provided by local authorities were dealt with by Local Authorities Division, while matters relating to international health organisations and port health control came under the International Health, Food and Nutrition Division (though the functions of this division were split in 1970).

The two Health Services Remuneration and Staffing Divisions, the Supply Division, the various medical and welfare staff and research divisions and units, the department's own administrative divisions, and the various professional staff committees were transferred to DHSS without any noticeable change in function or title.

In 1969, responsibility for the Welsh Board of Health was transferred to the Welsh Office.