WEST LAMBETH HEALTH AUTHORITY

The records listed below were selected and weeded from the files of the District Administrator's Office and the Chief Nursing Officer by Miss Cecilia Wright in 1986 and 1987. Papers and files relating to St Thomas' Hospital dating from before April 1974 or concerning the completion of the North Wing have been catalogued with the records of St Thomas' Hospital (see H1/ST/A163-A164).

When a series of records continues unbroken from before the NHS reorganisation of 1974 through subsequent changes, the series has been kept together, the more recent accruals being added to the older part of the series. For instance, the minutes of the Medical and Surgical Officers Committee and associated committees 1974-1985 have been catalogued with the earlier minute books of the same committees dating from 1920 to 1974 (see H1/ST/A137-A152). The annual reports of St Thomas' Health District (Teaching) for 1974-1982 and of West Lambeth Health Authority for 1982-1988 have been catalogued as H1/ST/A59/A/77-87 continuing the series of St Thomas' Hospital annual reports. For copies of Circle, the District magazine, see H1/ST/Y54. For newspaper cuttings 1957-1986 see H1/ST/Y32/16-29.

• <corpname>West Lambeth Health Authority, 1982-</corpname>
• <corpname>St Thomas Health District (Teaching), 1974-1982</corpname>

There are Restrictions on access to some of these records (under section 5(4) of the 1958 Public Records Act administrative records are closed for 30 years and patient records for 100 years)

Records transferred on 30 June 1986 (ACC/2293) and 29 April 1987 (ACC/2421) with additional items transferred on 18 November 1985 (ACC/2207), 18 March 1986 (ACC/2257) and 21 May 1991 (ACC/2931)

On the reorganisation of the National Health Service in April 1974 responsibility for St Thomas' Hospital and the other hospitals within St Thomas' Hospital Group (Grosvenor Hospital, Lambeth Hospital, Royal Eye Hospital, Royal Waterloo Hospital and South Western Hospital) passed to Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham Area Health Authority (Teaching). This divided its area of responsibility into districts, of which St Thomas' Health District (Teaching) formed the north-western part. The new health authorities were responsible for community health services as well as for hospitals. In June 1975 St Thomas Health District also acquired responsibility for Tooting Bee Hospital.

A major development during the next few years was the opening of the new North Wing of St Thomas' Hospital in 1976 and the consequent closure of the Grosvenor, Lambeth and Royal Waterloo Hospitals. The Royal Eye Hospital closed in 1980. Its premises became the headquarters of Lambeth, Southwark and Lewisham Area Health Authority.

A further reorganisation of the National Health Service in April 1982 abolished the area health authorities. Their responsibilities were transferred to the health districts. St Thomas' Health District (Teaching) became West Lambeth Health Authority dealing with the same geographical area and the same hospitals with the addition of St John's Hospital for Diseases of the Skin.