Health Services Board: Minutes, Papers and Registered Files

BS 8

1972-1980

Bound volumes of Health Services Board minutes, files containing agenda, minutes and papers circulated to the board members, and files from various series kept by the board's secretariat. These include series of files of correspondence with regional and area health authorities and other interested bodies, relating to private consulting rooms, paybeds and other facilities. The series also includes correspondence relating to the authorisation of building by the private medical sector. There are also records of the board's Scottish and Welsh Committees and a series of returns by private hospitals and nursing homes to a questionnaire issued by the board.

Public Record(s)

English

546 files and volumes

Open unless otherwise stated

Topics

Nursing

The Health Services Board was established under the provisions of the Health Services Act 1976, its members being appointed by the Secretary of State for Social Services. Its brief was to consider the provisions for the use of National Health facilities by private patients and for the control of the construction of new private hospitals. Proposals for the revocation of authorisations for pay beds and consulting rooms found to have been unused or seriously underused were submitted by the board to the Secretary of State for Social Services at six monthly intervals. Before these were accepted by the Secretary of State the board heard representations from interested parties.

On matters affecting Scotland and Wales, the board was advised by its Scottish and Welsh Committees. In the private building sector authorisation was required from the board for controlled works of a hundred or more beds in Greater London, or of 75 beds or more elsewhere. For smaller works the board had only to receive notification before planning permission was sought.

The terms of reference of the board also included the preparation of a report making recommendations on the establishment of common waiting lists for private and other patients. The board was required to make an annual report to the Secretaries of State for Social Services, Wales and Scotland. Its annual reports, its report on common waiting lists and its proposals for revocation of authorisations were published as Parliamentary Papers.

The National Health Service Act 1977 consolidated and extended previous legislation in empowering the board to propose the transfer of authorisations for the use of National Health Service facilities by private patients, and to propose revocation if satisfied that reasonable steps had not been taken to provide alternative facilities in the private sector. Before making any such proposals, due warning to persons likely to be affected had to be given in order to allow time for representation to be made to the board.

The board was dissolved in August 1980 under the Health Services Act 1980.