Catalogue description Records of National Health Service hospitals

Details of CF
Reference: CF
Title: Records of National Health Service hospitals
Description:

Formerly the records of two National Health Service hospitals, since transferred from the Public Record Office to the London Metropolitan Archives in 1983-1984 under s 4(3) of the Public Records Act 1958.

Series held at the London Metropolitan Archives are catalogued more fully in its online catalogue.

Date: 1831-2002
Related material:

Reports of the NHS Hospital Advisory Service and the NHS Health Advisory Service are in BN 37
Separated material:

As a general rule, the records of NHS institutions and organisations were not transferred to the Public Record Office. Where they survive, NHS records deemed worthy of permanent preservation, like those of the voluntary hospitals and local health insurance schemes which preceded the inception of the NHS, have been deposited in local or county record offices or remain in the hospital where they were created (or its successor).
Held by: London Metropolitan Archives: City of London, not available at The National Archives
Legal status: Public Record(s)
Language: English
Physical description: 2 series
Access conditions: No records held at The National Archives in this departmental code
Unpublished finding aids:

Information on the existence and location of the records of UK hospitals is available in the Hospital Records Database at www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/hospitalrecords/. This database was last updated in 2012.

Administrative / biographical background:

Under the terms of the National Health Service Act 1946, which came into force on 5 July 1948, fourteen regional hospital areas were created. Every regional hospital area was linked with a university medical school and its area centred on one or more major teaching hospitals. The regional hospital boards (which worked alongside the boards of governors of teaching hospitals) were responsible for overseeing the operation of the hospital management committees, the work of specialists, and the blood transfusion service.

In 1969, the National Health Service Hospital Advisory Service was set up to encourage improvements in services in NHS hospitals; it was succeeded in 1976 by the National Health Service Health Advisory Service.

Following the National Health Service Reorganisation Act 1973, the NHS experienced substantial changes, the effects of which were largely evident in the reduction of the number of local and cottage hospitals and the concentration of facilities in large multi-functional hospitals.

In the early 1990s, the NHS experienced further reorganisation, including the establishment of NHS Trust hospitals.

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