Hospital Records

Hospital Records. Nature of Source. Medical records of those treated in a hospital or records of those born or who died in a hospital. The very early hospitals such as St. Thomas's Hospital in London were built by the church and run by monastic orders but were shut down by Henry VIII during the dissolution of the monasteries between 1536 and 1541. Some secular hospitals had also been founded by voluntary contributions by individuals and by charities and these institutions expanded operations soon after the dissolution. The major hospital expansion began in the 18th and 19th centuries including Westminster Hospital (1719), Guy’s Hospital (1721) Middlesex Hospital (1745). Many parish-run hospitals were located in the poorhouse or workhouse with some of these institutions later commissioned as NHS hospitals. Baptisms took place at lying-in (maternity) hospitals which were established in the 18th century. The birth and baptism records from the British Lying in Hospital, Endell Street, Holborn, 1747-1868, are contained within series RG 8 at The National Archives and can be searched at BMD Registers. Giving birth in general hospitals only became common practice with the establishment of the NHS. Before WWII, the vast majority of women gave birth at home although hospitals might have some record of a baptism having taken place within the grounds. Modern patient records are subject to the Data Protection Act but close relatives can gain access to an ancestor’s patient records under the Freedom of Information Act. Patient records for adults aged 16 and over are closed for 84 years from the date of the record; for children between the ages of seven and fifteen closure is for 93 years and for infants aged nought to six closure remains for 100 years. For guidance on accessing patient records see the web site of the Health Archives and Records Group. In the absence of a patient name index, it is obviously critical to at least know the approximate admission date of the patient when looking for records. Where Found. Hospital Archives County Record Offices (Hospital registers including burials as well as other administrative records) University Archives London Metropolitan Archives (Admission and discharge records and other records for 130 hospitals, some outside London, including Guy's, Royal Free Hospital, City of London Lying in Hospital and Saint Thomas' and major charities such as the Foundling Hospital) St Bartholomew's Hospital Archives (The Archives holds the records of St Bartholomew's Hospital as well as records on individuals and of other related hospitals, institutions, organisations in the City, East London and beyond, including The German Hospital, the Metropolitan Hospital and a number of parish records) The Royal London Hospital Archives (The Archives holds the records of The Royal London Hospital as well as records on individuals and of other related hospitals, institutions, organisations including the London Jewish Hospital, Bethnal Green Hospital, Mile End Hospital and the Royal Brompton Hospital) Royal Free Hospital Archives Centre (The archive collection is held at the London Metropolitan Archives. Records include admission and discharge records and other records covering the Royal Free Hospital, Royal National Throat Nose & Ear Hospital, Royal Free Hospital School Of Medicine, Childrens Hospital Hampstead, Coppetts Wood Hospital, Hampstead General Hospital, London Fever Hospital, New End Hospital, North Western Fever Hospital. A selection of photos from the archive can be viewed at Flickr) Wellcome Library. Period Covered. Genealogical Value. Name, address date of birth, date of death of patient. Further References. Bourne, Susan & Chicken, Andrew H. Records of the Medical Professions: A Practical Guide for the Family Historian: S. Bourne and A.H. Chicken, 1994. Carruthers, Dr Barry G. & Carruthers, Lesley A. A History of Britain's Hospitals and the Background to the Medical, Nursing and Allied Professions: Book Guild Publishing, 2005. Higgs, Michelle. Life in the Victorian Hospital: The History Press, 2009. Higgs, Michelle. Tracing Your Medical Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians: Pen and Sword Books, 2011. Mitton, Lavinia. The Victorian Hospital: Shire Publications, 2008. Thomas, Amanda. The Lambeth Cholera Outbreak of 1848-1849: McFarland and Co, 2009 (includes references to and indexes of individual cases) Webb, Cliff. An Index of London Hospitals and their Records: Society of Genealogists, 2002. Wilkes, Sue. Tracing Your Ancestors' Childhood: Pen and Sword Books, 2013. Wills, Simon. How Our Ancestors Died: A Guide for Family Historians: Pen & Sword, 2013.