Central Health Services Council and Committees: Minutes, Papers and Correspondence

MH 133

1946-1973

This series contains the minutes, papers, reports and correspondence of the Central Health Services Council and its committees including its standing advisory committees. These files are almost wholly from the 94,000 series of the Ministry of Health, but there are a few 93,000 series files and five files from File Office H of the Ministry's file office series. The files cover all aspects of the operation of the National Health Service. Also contains records of the Joint Committees of the Central and Scottish Health Services Councils.

For records of the Children's Committee, a joint committee of the Personal Social Services Council and Central Health Services Council, see BS 14 MH 150 MH 156 MH 159 MH 160

For further files relating to the Central Health Services Council see:

94,000 file series

Public Record(s)

English

527 file(s)

Subject to 30 year closure

The National Health Service Act 1946 established a Central Health Services Council whose duties were "to advise the Minister on such general matters relating to the services provided [under the NHS Act 1946], or any services provided by local health authorities, as the Council think fit and upon any questions referred to them by him relating to those services".

The first schedule of the NHS Act 1946 provided that the numbers of the Central Council should be 41, of whom 6 should be ex-officio, the presidents of the Royal Colleges and the General Medical Council, and the chairmen of the British Medical Association and the Society of Medical Officers of Health; 15 should be medical practitioners of whom 2 should be selected for their knowledge of mental illness and mental conditions; 5 should be persons, not being medical practitioners, with experience in hospital management; 5 should be persons, not being medical practitioners, with experience in local government; 3 should be dental practitioners; 2 should be persons with experience in mental health services; 2 should be registered nurses; 1 should be a certified midwife; and 2 should be registered pharmacists.

Section 2(3) of the NHS Act 1946 empowered the Minister, after consultation with the Council, to constitute standing advisory committees to advise on particular services. Initially, 9 such committees were appointed - Medical, Dental, Pharmaceutical, Ophthalmic, Nursing, Maternity and Midwifery, Mental Health, Tuberculosis, and Cancer and Radiotherapy.

The Council was abolished in 1980.