NORTH WEST THAMES REGIONAL HEALTH AUTHORITY

Identity Statement

Reference code(s)	: GB 0074 HA/NW
Held at	: London Metropolitan Archives   Click here to find out how to view this collection at https://www.cityoflondon.gov.uk/lma ›
Full title	: NORTH WEST THAMES REGIONAL HEALTH AUTHORITY
Date(s)	: 1947-1977
Level of description	: Collection
Extent	: 11.65 linear metres
Name of creator(s)	: North West Thames Regional Health Authority | 1974-1994 North West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board | 1948-1974

Context

Administrative/Biographical history:

When the National Health Service was established in 1948, it was divided into three parts.

The personal health services, including ambulances, health visitors, community nursing and midwifery were run by local authorities. General medical services, including general practice, dental and ophthalmic services were the responsibility of the executive councils. Hospitals were placed under the control of regional hospital boards. Within each region hospitals were formed into groups and responsibility for more routine administration was delegated to the hospital group management committee. Teaching hospitals were excluded from this system. They had their own boards of governors who were directly responsible to the Minister of Health. Within each hospital region joint committees were established to facilitate consultation and cooperation between teaching hospitals and the board's hospitals.

In 1974 the regional hospital boards, hospital management committees and most boards of governors were abolished. They were replaced by regional health authorities and area health authorities, which were responsible for the three formerly separate parts of the NHS. In 1982 the area health authorities were in turn abolished. Their powers were transferred to district health authorities.

In 1948 the North West Metropolitan Regional Health Board was formed with responsibility for Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, north west London, and Spelthorne. The North West Thames Regional Health Authority was formed in 1974 and was responsible for health services in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, the London Boroughs of Barnet, Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Harrow, Hillingdon, Hounslow, Kensington and Chelsea and the City of Westminster.

This area of operations was similar to but not identical with the former North West Metropolitan Hospital Region, which comprised Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire (except Royston and east Hertfordshire) Middlesex (except Edmonton, Enfield and Tottenham) part of Berkshire (including Windsor and Maidenhead), part of Buckinghamshire (including Beaconsfield, Eton and Slough), the Metropolitan Boroughs of Hampstead, Holborn, Islington, St Marylebone and St Pancras, and the northern parts of the Metropolitan Boroughs of Hammersmith, Kensington, Paddington and Westminster.

In 1994 the North West Thames Regional Health Authority was merged with the North East Thames Regional Health Authority to form the North Thames Regional Health Authority, with responsibility for Essex, Hertfordshire and north London.

Content

Scope and content/abstract:

Records of the North West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board, including minutes and papers of the Board; National Hospital Reserve Sub-Committee; Establishment Committee; Medical Staffing Sub-Committee; Nursing Sub-Committee; Finance Committee; Finance Committee Investments Sub-Committee; Drugs Expenditure Sub-Committee; Medical Advisory Committee; Planning Committee; Planning and General Purposes Committee; Planning and General Purposes Committee Building, Land and Works Sub-Committee; Planning and General Purposes Committee Clinical Research Sub-Committee; Mental Health Committee; Planning and General Purposes Committee Mental Health Sub-committee and Steering Committee.

North West Metropolitan Regional Committees including minutes and papers of the North West Metropolitan Area Nurse Training Committee; North West Metropolitan Area Nurse Training Committee Finance Sub-Committee; Joint Consultative Committee for Inner London Hospitals in the North West Metropolitan Hospital Region minutes and papers; Joint Working Group of the Metropolitan Joint Consultative Committees; North West Metropolitan Hospital Regional Staff Advisory Committee, and the Regional Staff Committee.

North West Thames Regional Health Authority minutes and Departmental Records, including papers of the Regional Centres for Specialised Treatment; Major Accidents Procedure; Joint Consultative Committee for Inner London Hospitals; Planning: Central London Area and Planning: Regional Joint Liaison Committee for transfer to new authorities.

National Hospital Service Reserve, including papers of Mrs Grieb, Regional Coordinating Officer comprising scrapbook and photographs.

Access & Use

Language/scripts of material:
English

System of arrangement:

A. North West Metropolitan Regional Hospital Board;
B. North West Metropolitan Regional Committees;
C. North West Thames Regional Health Authority minutes;
D. North West Thames Regional Health Authority Departmental Records;
E. National Hospital Service Reserve.

Conditions governing access:

These records are open to public inspection, although under section 5(4) of the 1958 Public Records Act administrative records are closed for 30 years and patient records for 100 years.

Conditions governing reproduction:

Copyright to these records rests with the Corporation of London.

Finding aids:

Please see online catalogues at: http://search.lma.gov.uk/opac_lma/index.htm

Archival Information

Archival history:

Immediate source of acquisition:

Records of the North West Thames Regional Health Authority and its predecessors transferred by the Authority to the Greater London Record Office, 40 Northampton Road, London EC1R 0HB on 9 January 1985 , 16 January 1985, 3 April 1985 and July 1989.

Allied Materials

Related material:

Publication note:

Description Notes

Archivist's note:

Rules or conventions:
Compiled in compliance with General International Standard Archival Description, ISAD(G), second edition, 2000; National Council on Archives Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997.

Date(s) of descriptions:
November 2009 to February 2010