| AdminHistory | General Infirmary, 4 October 1797 - 1897
Royal Infirmary, 1897 - 1980 (closed)
The establishment of an infirmary in Sheffield was first suggested in an anonymous letter written in 1789, but no further action was taken for three years.
Following a public meeting in April 1792, subscriptions amounting to £15,000 were collected, a site in Upperthorpe Meadows was purchased and on 4 September 1793 the first stone of the new building was laid. It was opened on 4 October 1797, with accommodation for around 100 in-patients. Its senior staff comprised three physicians (including William Younge to whom the anonymous letter was attributed and who served in post for 43 years), three surgeons and a matron.
The founders had been able to acquire a substantial site so space for expansion was assured: additions included the Norfolk Wing (1844), the Victoria Block (1872), octagonal out-patients and casualty building (1883), and the Centenary Nurses' Home, ophthalmic wards and theatre (1897). Further additions and the creation of special departments followed in the 20th century. Radium treatment was first carried out in 1914, and the Radium Centre was established at the Infirmary in 1930.
During World War One 100 beds were offered to the War Office to serve as part of the 3rd Northern General Hospital. Service cases were again accommodated during World War II, along with air raid casualties.
From 1939 the Royal Infirmary was one unit in the merged Sheffield Royal Infirmary and Hospital and this continued until the establishment of the National Health Service in 1948 and the creation of the United Sheffield Hospitals.
The Royal Infirmary closed in 1980 when services were transferred and concentrated at the new Hallamshire Hospital. The last patient was discharged on 13 December 1980. The premises were finally vacated in December 1983 and the building was converted for office use.
Related establishments:
In 1910, Mrs Ellen Walker (later Lady Granger) donated 'The Priory' at Conisbrough for use as a convalescent home for infirmary patients, to be known as 'The Godfrey Walker Convalescent Home'. It closed in 1939.
Whiteley Wood Clinic, the premises of the former Rehabilitation Centre, opened in May 1958 as a unit of the University's new Department of Psychiatry, with close links to the Royal Infirmary.
Administration:
As a voluntary hospital, management was vested in a Board of Governors, who met weekly. Income was raised from subscriptions, donations and later, from a share of the Hospital Sundays funds.
By Act of Parliament, 1938, in force from 1 January 1939, the Royal Infirmary merged with the Royal Hospital to form the Royal Sheffield Infirmary and Hospital. Management was in the hands of a Court of Management, comprising a committee of up to 24 governors who met fortnightly. This continued until 1948, the Edgar Allen Physical Treatment Centre having joined the amalgamation in 1947.
At the establishment of the National Health Service (NHS) on 5 July 1948 (National Health Service Act, 1946), the Royal Infirmary and the Royal Hospital and the other former voluntary hospitals in Sheffield were brought together for administrative purposes into one group as The United Sheffield Hospitals (USH), managed by a Board of Governors.
The USH was abolished at the reorganisation of the NHS in 1974 when Sheffield Area Health Authority (Teaching) was established as one of the health areas within the new Trent Regional Health Authority. The Royal Infirmary was placed in the South (Teaching) District of SAHA. Following a redistricting exercise in summer 1978 when the three districts (North, Central and South) were formed into two, the Royal Infirmary was placed in the newly constituted Southern District. |
| Description | Administration
NHS17/1/1 Foundation, 1792 - 1797
NHS17/1/2 Board of Governors' minutes, 1798 - 1938
NHS17/1/3 Board of Management minutes, 1938 - 1948
NHS17/1/4 Committee minutes, 1850 - 1980
NHS17/1/5 Annual reports, 1795 - 1948
NHS17/1/6 Rules, 1798 - 1904
NHS17/1/7 Trustees' papers, 1792 - 1909
NHS17/1/8 Secretary's papers, 1828 - 1932
NHS17/1/9 Publicity and events, 1824 - 1971
NHS17/1/9/1 Newscuttings, 1893 - 1962
NHS17/1/9/2 Centenary celebrations, 1897
NHS17/1/9/3 3rd Jubilee celebrations, 1947
NHS17/1/9/4 Printed books and pamphlets, 1824 - 1971
NHS17/1/10 Photographs, c. 1900 - 1970
Land and Buildings
NHS17/2/1 Buildings: architect, 1792 - 1819
NHS17/2/2 Buildings: materials, 1793 - 1800
NHS17/2/3 Buildings: workforce, 1793 - 1802
NHS17/2/4 Buildings: extensions, 1842 - 1932
NHS17/2/5 Buildings: printed drawings, 1889 - 1909
NHS17/2/6 Insurance, 1811 - 1930
NHS17/2/7 Estate: purchases, 1799 - 1924
NHS17/2/8 Estate: sales, 1889 - 1963
NHS17/2/9 Estate: leases, 1834 - 1965
NHS17/2/10 Estate: rents, 1839 - 1854
NHS17/2/11 Estate: surveys and valuations, 1821 - 1827
NHS17/2/12 Roads, c. 1820 - 1911
Finance
NHS17/3/1 Accounts, 1793 - 1925
NHS17/3/2 Bank books, 1904 - 1937
NHS17/3/3 Subscriptions, 1792 - 1922
NHS17/3/4 Fundraising, 1797 - 1965
NHS17/3/5 Legacies, 1793 - 1943
NHS17/3/6 Overend Convalescent Fund, 1883 - 1922
NHS17/3/7 Investments, 1807 - 1950
Utilities, stores and equipment
NHS17/4/1 Water supply, 1874 - 1936
NHS17/4/2 Telephones, 1909 - 1970
NHS17/4/3 Inventories, 1800 - 1939
NHS17/4/4 Fixtures and fittings, 1797 - 1983
NHS17/4/5 Library, 1807 - 1986
NHS17/4/6 Printed catalogues, 1894 - 1931
Establishment
NHS17/5/1 Secretary, 1873 - 1907
NHS17/5/2 Treasurer, 1820 - 1890
NHS17/5/3 Medical staff: appointments and duties, 1797 - 1955
NHS17/5/4 Domestic staff, 1927
NHS17/5/5 Chaplain, 1910 - 1921
NHS17/5/6 Nursing and domestic staff general registers, 1897 - 1947
NHS17/5/7 Matron's nursing training registers, 1895 - 1948
NHS17/5/8 Registers of nurses, 1901 - 1944
NHS17/5/9 Post-certificate registers, 1901 - 1946
NHS17/5/10 Registers of affiliated nurses, 1932 - 1946
NHS17/5/11 Nurses' training records, 1957 - 1974
NHS17/5/12 Sisters' training records, 1950 - 1980
NHS17/5/13 State Enrolled Nurses' training records, 1961 - 1971
NHS17/5/14 Miscellaneous nurses registers, 1947 - 1978
NHS17/5/15 Post graduate course, nurses' register, 1958 - 1962
NHS17/5/16 Nursing examination books, 1930 - 1945
NHS17/5/17 Matron's meeting minutes, 1950 - 1970
NHS17/5/18 Matron's reports, 1950 - 1970
NHS17/5/19 Nurse training, 1922 - 1948
NHS17/5/20 Nursing rules, c. 1900 - 1960
NHS17/5/21 Nurse employment, 1914 - 1926
NHS17/5/22 Staff papers, 1841 - 1981
NHS17/5/23 League of Trained Nurses, 1932 - c. 1980
Patients
NHS17/6/1 Dr A. E. Barnes, physician: case papers: males, 1916, 1924 - 1930; females 1916, 1922 - 1930; children, 1924 - 1930
NHS17/6/2 Mr R. St Leger Brockman, surgeon: operation books, 1924 - 1933; case papers males and females, 1932 - 1947
NHS17/6/3 Dr H. P. Brody, physician: consultation register, 1953 - 1957
NHS17/6/4 Mr A. M. Connell, surgeon: operation books, 1920 - 1931; in-patient register, 1928 - 1932
NHS17/6/5 Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic: in-patients' operations registers, 1944 - 1970; out-patients' operation registers, 1945 - 1959
NHS17/6/6 Mr A. W. Fawcett, thoracic surgeon: male and femal case papers, 1931 - 1947; chest case papers, 1944 - 1947; out-patient registers, 1933 - 1958; female in-patient registers, 1953 - 1966; male in-patient registers, 1949 - 1962
NHS17/6/7 Mr W. J. Wellwood Ferguson, ophthalmic surgeon: applications for admission, 1931 - 1958; male and female case papers, 1932 - 1944; operations registers, 1937 - 1958; ward journals, 1928 - 1930; reports, 1927 - 1928
NHS17/6/8 Mr A. E. Finch: surgeon: out-patient registers, 1935 - 1944
NHS17/6/9 Dr A. R. Hallam, dermatologist: case papers, 1934 - 1944
NHS17/6/10 Professor R. P. Jepson, surgeon: out-patient registers, 1954 - 1958
NHS17/6/11 Mr Clifford Jones, surgeon: case papers, 1947; out-patient registers, 1955 - 1959; male in-patient registers, 1959 - 1963
NHS17/6/12 Dr A. W. Leishman, physician: out-patient register, 1955 - 1960
NHS17/6/13 Mr W. J. Lytle, surgeon: operations register, 1929; out-patient registers 1937 - 1959; in-patient registers, 1925 - 1958
NHS17/6/14 Professor E. Mellanby, physician: case papers, 1924 - 1927
NHS17/6/15 Professor D. S. Munro: in-patient register, 1973 - 1976
NHS17/6/16 Mr A. B. Nutt, ophthalmic surgeon: applications for admission, 1928 - 1951; case papers, 1932 - 1943; operations registers, 1928 - 1962; in-patient registers, 1928 - 1969; ward journals, 1928 - 1930
NHS17/6/17 Mr C. A. L. Palmer, surgeon: operations books, 1962 - 1969
NHS17/6/18 Mr A. Stanworth, surgeon: operations books, 1958 - 1969
NHS17/6/19 Dr R. Vickers, dermatologist: case papers, 1945 - 1948
NHS17/6/20 Dr R. Vickers and Dr I. B. Sneddon, dermatologists: case papers, 1950 - 1956
NHS17/6/21 Professor E. J. Wayne, physician: case papers, 1939 - 1947
NHS17/6/22 Dr A. G. Yates, physician (nervous diseases): case papers, 1913 - 1942
NHS17/6/23 Glass plates of skin conditions, mid 20th century
NHS17/6/24 Patients' papers, 1929
Royal Infirmary and Hospital
NHS17/7/1 Foundation, 1938
NHS17/7/2 Court of Management, 1939 - 1948
NHS17/7/3 Committees, 1940 - 1944
NHS17/7/4 Medical Committee, 1939 - 1944
NHS17/7/5 Annual reports, 1944 - 1948
Godfrey Walker Convalescent Home
NHS17/8/1 Land and buildings, 1910 - 1939
NHS17/8/2 Administration, 1910 - 1914
NHS17/8/3 Finance, 1912 - 1913
NHS17/8/4 Correspondence, 1937 - 1942
Miscellanea
NHS17/9 Certificates of death, etc, c. 1831 - 1970 |
| CustodialHistory | Prior to April 1986 the records previously numbered SY333 were held by the former South Yorkshire County Record Office. On the abolition of South Yorkshire County Council on 31 March 1986, these records passed to the custody of Sheffield Archives. On 1 Apr 2009 the ownership of these items was assigned to Sheffield Archives.
The Ba numeration was that assigned to some documents formerly held by the University of Sheffield; these and other archives were gathered together by Dr Harold Swan, formerly consultant haematologist at the Royal Infirmary and the Royal Hallamshire Hospital, whose valuable work in this is duly acknowledged. |