Department details

This administrative history covers the following bodies:1

• Privy Council
• Board of Health, 1805-1806
• Central Board of Health, 1831-1832
• Medical Department, 1858-1871
• General Board of Health, 1848-1858
• National Health Insurance Commissions, 1911-1919
• Ministry of Health, 1919-1968
• Department of Health and Social Security 1968-1988
• Department of Health 1988-

Boards of Health

The Privy Council Office acquired responsibilities for dealing with quarantine during the eighteenth century. These were consolidated in the Quarantine Act of 1825. They led to the Office's sponsorship of early Boards of Health. In 1805 the Office established a Board of Health to advise it on action to prevent the spread of fever to Britain from Spain and Gibraltar. The Board was dissolved in 1806. However in 1831 another consultative Board of Health was established at the Royal College of Physicians, under the auspices of the Privy Council, due to fears of a cholera epidemic. It was charged with the preparation of regulations to prevent the spread of the disease. These were issued as orders in Council. Later in the same year the consultative Board established at the Royal College was replaced by a new Central Board of Health, sitting at the Privy Council Office, with an advisory committee of physicians remaining at the Royal College. Nearly 1200 local boards of health were established under the direction of the Central Board, and temporary legislation was passed to give the order greater force. The Central Board was dissolved in 1832 and the local boards also disappeared as the danger passed, although the Privy Council continued to deal with letters on the subject until 1834. In 1896 the Quarantine Act was repealed, and the Privy Council also lost to the Local Government Board its powers, under an Act of 1876, which required the examination of persons from infected places.

Public health and sanitation was also a concern of the Poor Law Commission and Board. In 1840 the local boards of guardians became responsible for public vaccination. In 1843 a Royal Commission on the Health of Towns and Populous Places was appointed, and its reports of 1844 and 1845 resulted in the Public Health Act of 1848, which established a General Board of Health for a term of five years. In 1854 the Board was reconstituted in the manner of the Poor Law Board, with a president responsible to Parliament, and ex-officio ministerial members who took no part whatsoever in the administration of the department. The General Board of Health was empowered to create local boards of health in areas of high mortality. In corporate areas the local board was normally a committee of the local council. The General Board could sanction the appointment or dismissal of local officials, approve the mortgage of local rates for sanitary purposes and hear quasi-judicial appeals. Local boards were concerned with sanitation, sewerage, drainage, water supply, streets, burial grounds and regulation of offensive trades. In 1858 the term of office of the General Board of Health expired, and the Local Government Act of 1858 transferred some of its powers to the local boards as a measure of decentralization. The remainder of its administrative powers passed to a newly formed Local Government Act Office, which was a sub-department of the Home Office (see departmental history under Home Office), and its medical duties passed to the nascent medical department of the Privy Council.

The Local Government Act of 1871 provided for a Local Government Board, formed from the merger of the Poor Law Board, the Local Government Act Office of the Home Office, and the medical department of the Privy Council Office. The single Board had primary responsibility for the supervision of local government services. A Public Health Department of the Board was established in 1876 to deal with the administration of aspects of public health. It also took charge of vaccination functions taken over from the Privy Council Office and the Poor Law Board in 1871. It maintained formal contact with local authorities and local medical officers of health, and was also responsible for the administration of the medical inspection provision of the Alien Acts.

The National Insurance Health Act in 1911 introduced the first limited scheme of National Health Insurance. Four National Health Insurance Commissions for England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland were appointed by the Treasury to administer the scheme through approved societies and local insurance committees. It provided for medical benefit through attendance and treatment by medical practitioners, accepting insured patients for cash benefits for sickness, disablement and maternity; and, where surplus funds allowed, for additional benefits including specialist medical hospital or dental treatment and skilled nursing services. When the Ministry of Health was established in 1919 it assumed the powers and duties of the English and Welsh Commissions. These it discharged through its insurance department and through the Welsh Board of Health. The Irish Commission was transferred to the control of the Chief Secretary for Ireland, and in July 1919 the Scottish Commission's powers were given to the new Scottish Board of Health.

Ministry of Health

The Ministry of Health was formed on the initiative of Lord Rhondda, President of the Local Government Board from 1916-1917 and Food Controller; and Sir Robert Morant, Chairman of the English National Health Insurance Commission from 1912-1919. The proposal was considered by a ministerial committee in 1917, and was later referred to a sub-committee of the Reconstruction Committee of the War Cabinet, under the chairmanship of Chris Addison. The sub-committee supported the proposal, which also secured the approval of the health insurance societies in 1917. In 1919 the Ministry of Health Act created the Ministry of Health, consolidating under a single authority the medical and public health functions of central government, and the co-ordination and supervision of local health services in England and Wales. The newly formed Ministry took over aspects of child and maternal welfare and medical inspection, as well as the treatment of children. The Board retained the day-to-day management of the school medical officers' business under the general direction of the Ministry of Health, and the two departments shared the same Chief Medical Officer. The co-ordination of local medical services was expanded in connection with emergency and wartime services, from 1935 to 1945, and these developments culminated in the establishment of the National Health Service in 1948. This became the primary responsibility of the department, which had overall control of local and regional health boards. It also supervised local government services and was responsible for the oversight and co-ordination of the system of National Health Insurance, established in 1911, and of contributory old age pensions and widows and orphans pensions, introduced in 1925. These duties were transferred to the The Ministry of National Insurance from the Insurance Department in 1945. Ministerial responsibility for supplementary pensions passed to the Ministry of National Insurance in 1945. Functions in connection with public assistance were discharged by the Poor Law Division. This was abolished and its powers transferred to the National Insurance Board in 1948. By 1952 the Ministry of Health was almost exclusively concerned with national and local health, and with medical and hospital services. In 1968 it was absorbed into the new Department of Health and Social Security.

The Department of Health

In 1968 the Ministry of Health was merged with the Ministry of Social Security to form the Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS), under a Secretary of State for Social Services. The Secretary of State was assisted by two Ministers of State responsible for health and social security respectively, and in 1976 a Minister of Social Security of Cabinet rank was appointed within the Department.

Responsibility for a number of functions was transferred both into and out of the DHSS. In April 1969 Welsh health and welfare functions relating to water were transferred to the Welsh Office. In May 1970 the Secretary of State for Social Services was given ministerial responsibility for the newly created Office of Population Censuses and Surveys. In January 1971 the child care functions of the Home Office in England, with the exception of adoption, juvenile delinquency and juvenile courts, passed to the DHSS. The responsibility for adoption was transferred in 1973. In 1971 responsibility for mentally handicapped children and junior training centres was passed from the DHSS to the Department of Education and Science. During the 1970s and the 1980s a substantial amount of legislation was passed affecting the DHSS, including the creation of an Occupational Pensions Board. A major reorganisation of the National Health Service took place in 1973-1974. In 1977 responsibility for proprietary medicines was transferred and in the same year further legislation was passed on the NHS. In 1979, following the Public Health Laboratory Service Act, responsibility for the microbiological research establishment at Porton Down was transferred to the Secretary of State for Health from the Secretary of State for Defence, and the laboratory was renamed the Centre for Applied Microbiology and Research. In 1981 the Secretary of State for Social Services was given the new function of co-ordinating the government's response to solvent abuse problems in England.

In 1978, a Central Management Services Branch was established to advise both the Department and the NHS on means of improving efficiency. In 1980 the control of the administration of the supplementary benefits system and the provision of reception and resettlement centres passed to the DHSS, on the abolition of the Supplementary Benefits Commission.

In 1988, the Department was administratively divided into its two traditional broad functions, and the Department of Health and the Department of Social Security came into being. In 2001 the Department for Social Security was reorganised, becoming the Department for Work and Pensions, see the separate administrative history for Social Security departments. The Department of Health today is responsible for health and personal services in England, including public health matters, and the health consequences of environmental and food issues. It is responsible for the provision of health services discharged through the National Health Service (NHS), and through independent contractors such as general practitioners, dentists, pharmacists and opticians. The NHS Executive is responsible for managing the performance of the NHS, including holding Health Authorities (HAs) and NHS trusts accountable for performances against their statutory responsibilities. The Personal Social Services (PSS) programme deals with health spending by local authorities.

Her Majesty's Inspector of Anatomy, 1832-

The Anatomy Act of 1832 made the Home Secretary responsible for the regulation of schools of anatomy and for the granting of licences to practise anatomy. It also provided for the appointment of three Inspectors of Anatomy who were to hold office for one year. They were to be responsible for districts where anatomy was carried out, to make quarterly reports concerning the subjects on whom anatomical examinations were carried out, and to visit places where anatomy was practised. In 1832 a single Inspector was appointed to carry out these duties with the aid of assistants in England, Scotland and Wales. There was a separate establishment for Ireland under the Chief Secretary for Ireland. In 1842 two Joint Inspectors for England and Wales, and a separate Inspector for Scotland with an office in Edinburgh, replaced the single Inspector. The Joint Inspectors for England and Wales had special responsibility for the metropolitan area and the provinces respectively. Their office in London was known as the Anatomy Office. The Domestic Department, and then miscellaneous (E) Division, of the Home Office carried out supervision of licensing, and of the Inspectorate, until 1920. In May 1920 these functions were transferred to the Ministry of Health, and the appointment of Inspectors of Anatomy was transferred from the Home Office also. From this date there was a single Inspector and the post was filled by one of the medical officers of the Ministry.

The 1832 Act also specified who could receive bodies for anatomical examination, where anatomy could be practised, and by whom. A further amendment of this Act occurred in 1871, concerning the length of time within which certificates of internment were to be transmitted to the Inspectors of districts.

The 1984 Act repealed all other Anatomy Acts and made provision for "the use of bodies of deceased persons, and parts of such bodies, for anatomical examination and...the possession and disposal of bodies of deceased persons, and parts of such bodies, authorized to be used for anatomical examination, and for connected purposes". Under the Act Her Majesty's Inspector of Anatomy was appointed by the Secretary of State for Health, whom he is to advise on the exercise of his functions under the Act. The Inspector's duties are to inspect premises in respect of which licences are sought, to establish whether any offence has been or is being committed, and to examine applications for licences and ascertain whether the applicants are suitable. The Inspector may also require the production of any records created by licencees, which he is allowed to copy if necessary.

The Anatomy Regulations of 1988 made provisions for records produced by those licensed under the 1984 Anatomy Act. These records relate to anatomical examinations and anatomical specimens, and to records of bodies and parts of bodies retained after anatomical examinations have been concluded. The regulations also cover the examination and disposal of bodies, and the care of parts of bodies after examination.

Her Majesty's Inspector of Anatomy has been the responsibility of various sections of the DHSS and the Department of Health including the Health Care and Social Services Group, which in turn was the responsibility of different medical care units at different times. Since 1996 Her Majesty's Inspector of Anatomy has been placed on its own under the NHS Executive.

The United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (UKCC) 1983-2002, and predecessor bodies

The Central Midwives Board, 1902-1983, was set up by the Midwives Act 1902, whose provisions prohibited unqualified women from practising midwifery. The Board had powers in England and Wales to keep and publish a Roll of certified midwives, to provide training and examination as a prerequisite to enrolment, and to draw up rules of conduct both for themselves, and for those practising as midwives. In 1983 the Board ceased to exist, due to the provisions of the Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Act 1979, which established a United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting.

The General Nursing Council for England and Wales, 1919-1983, was established by the Nurses Registration Act of 1919. In conjunction with the GNCs of Scotland and Ireland, established at the same time, it was to compile and maintain a register of qualified nurses, and to act as the disciplinary authority of the profession. The GNC was one of nine bodies replaced by the UKCC and the National Boards in 1983.

The Council for the Education and Training of Health Visitors existed 1962-1979. In 1962 the Health Visiting and Social Work (Training) Act established the Council for the Training of Health Visitors (CTHV) and the Council for Training in Social Work (CTSW) as bodies corporate under a joint chairman appointed by the Privy Council. The Council's function was to promote the training of health visitors by approving and setting up appropriate courses, controlling examinations and by assisting research. In 1970 the title of the Council was amended to the Council for the Education and Training of Health Visitors (CETHV). Pressure to separate the CTSW and the CETHV increased and was accomplished in 1975. A review of all the nursing bodies led in 1979 to the Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Act and to the abolition in 1983 of the CETHV, and the setting up of a joint body, the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (UKCC), and two National Boards for England and Wales (ENB and WNB) in 1980.

The National Boards for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland were established in 1980 following the provisions of the Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Act 1979. Their main functions were to monitor the quality of nursing and midwifery education courses, and to maintain the training records of students on these courses.

The United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (UKCC) was set up in 1983. The core functions of the UKCC were to maintain a register of UK nurses, midwives and health visitors, provide guidance to registrants, and handle professional misconduct complaints.

The structure of UKCC and National Boards survived with minor modifications up to April 2002, when the UKCC ceased to exist and its functions were taken over by a new Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). The English National Board was also abolished and its quality assurance function was taken on board by the NMC. The other National Boards were also abolished, but new bodies were created in each country to take over their functions.

Anatomy Dataset: reference CRDA/21

NDAD has 2 dataset in this series, a register of the disposal of bodies for medical research. NDAD also holds copies of documents relating to the dataset. See the Series Catalogue for further details.

Public Health Common Data set: reference CRDA/24

NDAD has 10 datasets in this series, which is a compendium of data across a range of nationally identified items with a relevance to public health. It consists of a number of indicators on topics such as demography, fertility, mortality, morbidity, and the decennial census. NDAD also holds copies of documents relating to the dataset. See the Series Catalogue for further details.

Reasons for Retirement: reference CRDA/27

NDAD has one dataset in this series which consists of a study undertaken at the request of the Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS) and the Department of Employment (DE). It aims to find out why people retire early, at normal retirement age, or after, and to investigate constraints on working after or just before normal retirement age, as well as the effects of various personal, environmental and policy factors on the timing of the decision to retire, or on the failure to take such a decision. See the Series Catalogue for further details.

General Household Survey: Follow-up Survey of the Health of People aged 65 and over 1994: reference CRDA/28

NDAD has one dataset in this series, a pilot study examining various methodological aspects of the feasibility of carrying out a cohort study, or a series of cohort studies, of the elderly. NDAD also holds copies of documents relating to the dataset. See the Series Catalogue for further details.

Survey of Abortion Patients for the Committee on the Working of the Abortion Act: reference CRDA/32

NDAD has three datasets in this series, comprising the results of a survey carried out in 1972 on behalf of a committee established to review the operation of the Abortion Act 1967. NDAD also holds copies of documents relating to the datasets. See the Series Catalogue for further details.

Children's difficulties on starting infant school: reference CRDA/33

NDAD has one dataset in this series, which provides descriptive information on the nature and extent of children's difficulties on starting infant school. NDAD also holds copies of documents relating to the dataset. See the Series Catalogue for further details.

The Elderly and their Medicines: reference CRDA/34

NDAD has one dataset in this series, which provides the data gathered in a survey of the medicine taking habits of elderly people, from the perspective of the elderly people themselves (or their carers), and also from the perspective of their doctors. NDAD also holds copies of documents relating to the dataset. See the Series Catalogue for further details.

The AIDS Advertising Evaluation survey: reference CRDA/35

NDAD has one dataset in this series, which evaluates the effects of the DHSS (Department of Health and Social Security) AIDS advertising campaign, analysing the awareness of AIDS as well as changes in attitudes towards AIDS and sexual behaviour during the period 1986-1987. See the Series Catalogue for further details.

The Single Professional Register and Index of Training (SPRINT-UK): reference CRDA/50

NDAD holds one dataset in this series. SPRINT-UK was a database system used to record and maintain information relating to nurses, midwives, health visitors and potential applicants for training who took the relevant examinations. It was both a professional register and an index of training for the period 1984-2002. See the Series Catalogue for further details.

General Medical Practitioners Workload Survey: reference CRDA/63

The 1992-1993 General Medical Practitioners Workload Survey was carried out jointly by the Department of Health and the British Medical Association to assist the Doctors' and Dentists' Review Body (DDRB) in the process of reviewing GP's annual salary increases. The 1992-93 survey was the third to be carried out but was the first to be held since the introduction of new GP contracts in 1990. See the Series Catalogue for further details.

The National Archives holds records of the Ministry of Health, the Department of Health and Social Security, and the Department of Health, with the prefixes BN, MH and JA.

The National Archives also holds records of the Central Midwives Board in series DV7; the General Nursing Council for England and Wales in series DT10-DT12; the Council for the Education and Training of Health Visitors in series DT16, DT34, DV11 and DW 1-4; and the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting in series KN.

Records of the English National Board are held by The National Archives in series HE; the Welsh National Board in series BD 103.

The National Archives of Scotland holds records of the Central Midwives Board for Scotland in series CMB 3 and CMB 5; and the General Nursing Council for Scotland in series GNC 12-GNC 14.

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland holds records of the Joint Nursing and Midwives Council for Northern Ireland in series NBN.

Further information on the work of the Department of Health can be found on their website , or by contacting the Department of Health at Richmond House, 79 Whitehall, London, SW1A 2NS; telephone 0207 210 4850.

Further information on the work of the Nursing and Midwifery Council can be found on their website or by contacting them at 23 Portland Place, London, W1B 1PZ; telephone 020 7637 7181.

1. The following sources were used to prepare this administrative history: Cabinet Office, Civil Service Year Books 1974-1997 (London: HMSO 1974-1997); John Cannon (Editor), The Oxford Companion to British History (Oxford University Press, 1997); Public Record Office, Public Record Office Current Guide, Part 1: Administrative histories (Kew: Public Record Office, 1996) sections 401/1/1, 412/1/1, 421/1/1; Department of Health Web Site - see Department of Health under organisational index in the Government Information Service web site.