Catalogue description Records of Local and Regional Health Bodies

Regional hospital boards were established in 1948 under the National Health Service Act 1946 to administer hospital and specialist services in their respective regions. They were directly responsible to the Ministry of Health, with the exception of the Welsh Hospital Board, known up to 1961 as the Welsh Regional Hospital Board, which was responsible to the Welsh Board of Health. Their members, including at least two with experience of mental health services, were appointed by the minister after consultation with interested individuals and organisations.

Hospital management committees were established under the same act to administer individual hospitals or groups of them, other than teaching hospitals, under the control of the regional hospital boards, who were responsible for the appointment of their members. Hospitals designated by the minister as teaching hospitals were managed by boards of governors of teaching hospitals appointed by him.

In each local authority area there was an executive council some of whose members, including the chairman, were appointed by the minister. Most of the members were appointed by the authority and the local medical, dental and pharmaceutical committees. Each executive council was responsible for the provision of personal medical, dental and opthalmic services within its area and for establishing through Medical Service Committees machinery for hearing complaints by patients or representatives of the executive council against medical practitioners. All these bodies liaised with the regional offices and were under the ultimate direction of specialist health divisions of the ministry.

With the exception of a few boards of governors of teaching hospitals, they were abolished by the National Health Service Reorganisation Act 1973, with effect from April 1974. Hospital management committees were succeeded by district health authorities until these in turn were abolished in 1982.