Catalogue description NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE ARCHIVES

This reference NHS is used for all deposited archive material relating to the operations and administrations of the Health Service except those relating specifically to Hospitals. The latter are to be found under the references give below:

Where relevant it includes archives relating to predecessor bodies and organisations responsible for administration of health prior to the creation of the National Health Service in 1948.

NHS/EC Bedfordshire Executive Council(Family Practitioner Committee from 1973/4)

1 Minutes of the Executive Council(Family Practitioner Committee from 1973/4)from 1947. Note: before 1947 see the records of the National Insurance Committee of BCC

2 Minutes of(Sub-)Committees of the Council/Committee

2/1 Joint Committee of representatives of the Executive Council and Local Medical Committee(1948-1972)

2/2 Benefits Committee(1963-1964)

2/3 Hours of Duty(later Hours of Service)Committee(1948-1974)

3 Financial Records

3/1 National Health Insurance(1913-1918)

3/2 Doctors' Capitation Statistics(1924-1948)

3/3 Payments to Medical Practitioners(1925-1948)

3/4 Payments for Ophthalmic Services(1951-1974)

3/5 Payments to Doctors(1952-1963)

3/6 Payments to Chemists(1962-1969)

3/7 Statements of Account for the Executive Council(1953-1973)

In September 1994 archives of the Bedfordshire Executive Committee of the NHS were deposited in the Record Office. A decision was made then to create the class NHS in the knowledge, however, that many archives relating to the Health and medical provision had already been deposited and processed under different reference codes. For this reason a conspectus of Health and Medical archives is provided below:

Area Health Authorities

Bedfordshire Area Health Authority, from 1974 : see HO/NB 43 and Z625/8/1-2

North Bedfordshire Health Authority, from 1982 : see HO/NB 48-49 and Z625/1-2

South Bedfordshire Health Authority, from 1982 : see HO/SB and Z625/7

North West Thames Regional Health Authority from 1983, : see Z625/11

National Association of Health Authorities, from 1978 : see Z625/15-16

Hospitals(Mental Health included)

Bedford(currently Bedford Infirmery), from 1801 : see HO:B, HO/NB8/1 and HO/NB24/1-3, and Z675/17. See also HO/NB1/1-42 and Z613(Bedford Group Hospital Management Committee)

Bedford Asylum, from 1742 : see QGEA and LB

Biggleswade, from 1903 see HO/BW, and HO/NB2-3

Bromham, from 1929(including Bedfordshire and Northamptonshire Joint Board for Mental Deficiency) : see JB and also HO/NB4

Danewood(formerly Jewish Sanatorium)from 1869 : see HO/D

Dunstable and District Infectious Diseases Hospital(latter Convalescent Hospital), from 1904 : see HO/DU, and BU277-233, 235B-249, 251-254, AND BH uncat, 226, 234a-13, 235A and 256.

Fairfield(Three Counties Hospital), from 1860 : see LF passum, HO/LN7 and PAV2 and 28

(Kempston, Springfield(private, from 1837) ; see X611)

Luton, Bute(including Cottage)Hospital, from 1872-1938 ; see HO/LA and LM

Luton, St Mary's Hospital, from 1948(for pre 1948 see Luton Poor Law and Public Assistance Archives) : see HO/L

Luton, Children's Hospital, from 1984-1935 : see HO/LA and LC

Luton and Dunstable Hospital, from 1900 : see HO/LA, LN, LPh LPe and LR.

Moggerhanger(Park)Sanatarium(Tuberculosis), from 1913 : see HO/MP, HO/NB3 25-26 and N/V1-2

Three Counties Hospital : see Fairfield

Nursing Archives(including midwifery*)

Bedfordshire County Nursing Assocation, from 1897 : see NC

Ampthill Nursing Association(1893-1937) : see NA

Bedford Nursing Assocation, from 1896 : see NB

Cardington Nursing Association, from 1896 : see NCR and ND

Harrold, Carlton, Odell and Chellington Nursing Association, from 1913 : see NH(includes Midwives' minutes for 1912-1941, NMI)

Podington Nursing Association, from 1901 see NP

Sandy Nursing Assocation, from 1934 : see NS

Woburn Nursing Assocation, from 1936 : see NW

Poor Law Institutions(including Medical Offciers Reports, Vaccination Registers, and record re workhouse medical relief, and Hospital Admissions)

Ampthill(1873-1957) : - see PUAM

Bedford(1854-1947) : - see PUBU(includes Maternity Registers)

Leighton Buzzard(1868-1930) : see PUL13

Luton(1891-1929) : see PULD

Specific Medical Conditions and Practice

Blindness : Blind Persons Act Committee of BGG(1922-1948) - see BP

Dentistry and Pharmacy(1889-1919) : see X447/143/146

Disability(Ladies Works, Luton/Dunstable area), 1950-1966 : see X772

Massage(1921-1942) : see Z155/30-32

Maternity and Child Welfare : BCC Committee(1903-1948) : see CW

Moral Welfare(Bedford Branch of Ely Clater St Albans)Dioceses Association for Rescue and Preventative Work(1908-1923) : see X131/3

Tuberculosis : see Moggerhanger Park Hospital above

Other Organisations

North Bedfordshire Community Health Council from 1974 : see X685 and Z625/9

Royal College of General Practitioners(Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire Faculty): see Z625/10/1

Other Points

Another conspectus of medical records can be found at CRV114(close 1980). The above list does not include Medical Officers of Health Reports, Urben and Sanitary Authorities, Rural and Urban District Councils which are really concerned with sanitation. Likewise it omits general minute books of Poor Law Institutions and Public Assistance Authority establishments concentrating instead as specific items that deal with health. Finaly it also omits archives relating to Children's Homes because such records are not exclusively concerned with health.

Family Practitioner Committee : see NHS/EC

• View Record