Records of the Registrar of the General Nursing Council for England and Wales and...

Division within DT

c1860-1984

Records of the Registrar and other registration records relating to the General Nursing Council for England and Wales (GNC)'s responsibility for registration and as the disciplinary authority of nurses and also reflecting the Registrar's duty for collecting the GNC's records.

Comprises Register of nurses in DT 10, roll of nurses in DT 11 and computerised Register and roll in DT 12, correspondence and papers on registration in DT 13 and on overseas registration in DT 18 and DT 43 and statistics on registration in DT 14

Also includes GNC records held by the Registrar which comprise general correspondence and papers in DT 16, correspondence and papers of the Area Nurse Training Committees in DT 17, correspondence with Regional Hospital boards in DT 19 and of the GNC and its statutory members in DT 20, papers relating to GNC property in DT 21 and circulars, reports and publications in DT 15

Microfilms of the Registers of nurses were in MH 46 and MH 35 but were destroyed in November 1990 by agreement with the Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting.

Public Record(s)

English

13 series

Topics

Nursing

The Registrar was the chief executive officer of the General Nursing Council. In that capacity she was responsible for servicing the Council and its committees and for corresponding with government departments, particularly the Ministry of Health and later the Department of Health and Social Security, with regard to the legislative powers and duties of the Council. After the outbreak of the Second World War, from October 1939 to February 1940, the Chairman of the Council and the Registrar transacted the business of the Council and its committees, as the Emergency Committee.

The Registrar was also responsible for the general conduct of the Council's business and for relationships with outside organisations such as the Scottish and Irish General Nursing Councils, the European Economic Community and many others. She was directly involved in negotiations with hospitals overseas in the matter of reciprocal registration.

She was responsible for negotiations with the Area and Regional Nurse Training Committees from their establishment in 1949 and for the issue of all publications and circulars on behalf of the Council. She administered the Council's property and corresponded with Council and committee members, Regional Hospital Boards.

The number of registered and enrolled nurses had increased to such an extent by 1959 that a decision was taken to convert the nurses registration files to jacketed microfilm to save office accommodation. The process was completed by 1973. The Register and Roll, in which were recorded a summary of the qualifications of each registered and enrolled nurse, were also computerised in 1973. At the time of the handover of responsibility to the GNC's successor, the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting, the number of names on the Register and Roll was over 750,000.