Winterton Hospital
Reference: H/Wi Catalogue Title: Winterton Hospital Area: Catalogue Category: Public Records Description: Medical records
Covering Dates: 1858-1945
Access: Access is restricted under Data Protection legislation. Apply to County Archivist for access.
Catalogue Index
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- Winterton Hospital
- Medical Records (Ref: H/Wi )
- Registers of patients, and indexes to registers (Ref: H/Wi )
- Registers of patients and indexes to admissions (Ref: H/Wi 340-373, 376-387, 390-393)
- Continuation Certificates (Ref: H/Wi 394-395, 523)
- Indexes of patients (Ref: H/Wi 514-518)
- Register of patients' next of kin (Ref: H/Wi 519-520)
- Case papers (Ref: H/Wi 123-301)
- Case papers for patients admitted 1858-1870 (Ref: H/Wi section 01)
- Case papers for male patients admitted 1870-1913 (Ref: H/Wi section 02)
- Case papers for female patients admitted 1870-1913 (Ref: H/Wi section 03)
- Case papers for male patients dying 1913-1945 (Ref: H/Wi section 04)
- Case papers for male patients discharged 1913-1945 (Ref: H/Wi section 05)
- Case papers for female patients dying 1913-1945 (Ref: H/Wi section 06)
- Case papers for female patients discharged 1913-1945 (Ref: H/Wi section 07)
- 2% sample of case papers for patients dying or discharged after 1946-1996 (Ref: H/Wi section 08)
- Post Mortem Reports, 1868-1960, 1968-1973 (Ref: H/Wi 302-317, 524-525)
- Certificates of discharge through disability after service in the Great War (Ref: H/Wi 318-332)
- Registers of fractures and serious casualties (Ref: H/Wi 389)
- Tuberculosis records (Ref: H/Wi 396)
- Recommendations for discharge/change of status (Ref: H/Wi 509-513)
- Medical journal (Ref: H/Wi 526)
Catalogue Description
Winterton Hospital - formerly County Lunatic AsylumThis hospital was established in 1858 by the county justices under the provisions of the 1808 and 1853 Pauper Lunatics Acts (48 Geo. III c. 96 and 16 & 17 Victoria c. 97) as a county asylum for pauper lunatics. In fact there had been an earlier proposal to build an asylum in 1827, but after consideration a committee decided it was not expedient at that time.
In 1855 the justices began negotiations to purchase a site near Sedgefield. As soon as the purchase of the first fifty-two acres was finally completed the county architect and surveyor, John Howison, drew up plans for approval, having much help and advice from Mr. Bridgeland of the Surrey Asylum. In October 1857 Howison reported that the walls of the main building, chapel and offices were complete, and were built on Fox and Barratt's fire-proof principle. The workshops were also partly complete. The site and grounds, including a farm, was eventually about 350 acres.
The first medical superintendent, Dr. Smith, was appointed in June 1857, at first on a temporary basis. Some county patients were transferred from Bensham Asylum, Gateshead, to temporary accommodation in Bath Lane. By January, 1858 Dr. Smith had received 131 patients, of whom 19 had been discharged. In April 1858, he requested that some patients should be moved to the new asylum as soon as possible as the Bath Lane Asylum was overflowing. They could help, he thought, in putting in seeds and preparing the grounds. Between twelve and twenty could be accommodated in the steward's house which was then complete, and more patients could be transferred when other rooms were ready. Building work continued during the summer, while patients were being moved in, and was complete by the autumn. By October 1859 there were 237 patients (131 male and 120 female); 72 of these had been admitted since June, including 44 from Newcastle. The committee reported 'The admission of so many patients at once has caused a difficulty as to the furniture and clothes which are in great measure made in the asylum and which therefore are not at present supplied sufficiently'. They said, however, that everything would soon be in order, and mentioned the purchase of cheap prints to decorate some wards, which already produced a more cheerful demeanour in the patients. The ground round the building had been levelled and would be 'neatly laid out'. (Quarter Sessions Order Book Q/S/OB/28 pp. 561, 589-591, 635, 867-868).
The initial buildings on the site were: main building (with male and female wards), administration building (including chapel, committee rooms, medical superintendent's office), workshops (shoemaking, sewing, tailoring), wash houses, yards and steward's house.
Further developments included:
Gas works, hospital entrance and lodge gates - August 1858
North-east lodge and emntrance gate - April 1875
Stable block - April 1875
Six staff cottages, yards and gates - November 1876
East and west entrance lodges - December 1877
Auxiliary main building (Winterton Block), built to ease overcrowding in the main building (including recreation hall) - 1878
High level water tower- May 1878
Lizards Farm purchased - March 1881
New men's wash-house - March 1881
Inquest room - June 1881
Hind's house at Lizards farm - September 1881
St. Luke's Chapel - June 1883
Observation Ward - September 1888
New bath and water closets - November 1888
Cemetery - November 1890
Cemetery chapel - May 1891
Laundry and wash-house - June 1892
Medical superintendent's house (The Gables), later staff welfare club - March 1893
New water closet block, female wards 10 and 13 - March 1895
New water closet block, female ward 8 and male ward 8 - March 1897
Engine and dynamo house - September 1897
New bakery - May 1899
Water closet block to male infirmary and male wards 10 and 13 - April 1900
Two cottage blocks - June 1901
General Stores and office block - November 1901
Infectious diseases hospital - March 1904
Two cottage blocks - August 1904
Boiler house chimney - December 1904
Nurses' Home - 1906
Doctors' Quarters - 1932
Admission (or Reception) Hospital - 1932
Committee room and mess rooms (later administration building) - 1934
Temporary Emergency Hospital - 1939-1945
Nurse Training School - 1964
Day and Treatment Unit - c.1965
In 1948 the hospital came under the management of the National Health Service instead of the County Council.
The records, both administrative, committee minutes and medical case records, are a well-kept and complete series. Unfortunately the early signed minutes of the committee (c.1857 - 1883) are now missing. Some of the case books were damaged by flooding, but most are in reasonable condition.
Before the closure of the hospital in 1996 a decision was made by the NHS to destroy all the case notes for patients in the hospital in 1946 and later years, apart from a 2% sample. Consequently, although the Record Office holds a virtually complete set of case papers for patients who died or were discharged up to 1945, for those who died or were discharged from 1946 there is only a very limited likelihood that their records (and this includes any records of their time in the hospital up to 1945) have been retained.
ACCESS TO WINTERTON RECORDS
All Winterton records are now open to public inspection after 85 years, and the relevant date for our restrictions is the latest date in any document.
Medical records (case books and files, post-mortem books etc.) within the 85-year closure period can be accessed using the Record Office's Research Service, but information from them can only be released if the enquirer can provide evidence (birth, marriage and death certificates) of their direct relationship to the patient, and evidence of the patient's death. We need to obtain permission from the NHS Trust before finally releasing any information and a charge (in addition to the Research Service fee) is made to cover the NHS administrative costs (payable to the County Council on behalf of the NHS).
Information from non-medical records (admission registers, burial register, etc.) within the 85-year closure period can be made available using the Research Service (and without NHS permission). However, the enquirer needs to provide the evidence as above, and it may be necessary to redact other information which appears in a document, as we are unable to be sure of the status of any other people named.
The burial ground plan (H/Wi 528) is open but only shows initials and dates.
Catalogue Contents
Case-books/binders, 1858 - 1945
These record the case number, patient's name, occupation (if any), religion, where admitted from (i.e. home or other hospital), name and address of next of kin, abstract of the certificate, presumed cause and duration of attack, if any previous history, report (by medical officer) of state of health on admission, and records of regular medical examinations and treatment during stay in the hospital. In the 1860s, occasionally later, and again irregularly from 1913, photographs of patients were attached to the record. Original volumes 113 and 114 (H/Wi 233-234) contain, at front, photographs of groups of patients (mainly old women) and staff taken outside the building.
Between two and six pages were allowed for each patient and most cases were continued in other volumes. There were usually several volumes for each year and most volumes have a name index. Separate volumes were kept for male and female patients (except for the earliest years). From 1901 the form for the preliminary questions and examination was printed at the top of each record page. Each volume also has at the front a list of the government Commissioners in Lunacy and extracts from their rules about case records.
Between 1901 and 1908 a separate series of books was kept for chronic patients, in similar volumes; some of the volume numbers being duplicated.
The case books are large volumes (15 ins. x 11 ins.) bound in calf (or half vellum from 1901). Each volume was originally numbered on the spine, although the spines of some volumes are decayed and the numbers are now missing. It also appears that a few volumes were used slightly out of order, e.g. volume 34 (H/Wi 162) was used in 1882, but other volumes of that date have numbers in the 40s. The volumes have, however, been arranged in chronological order, according to dates of entries (NB the manuscript dates written on the spines of some volumes do not always refer to the date of the first entry in that volume). From volume 118 (H/Wi 238) there are two volumes for each number, one for males, one for females (earlier the male and female volumes had different numbers).
Volumes 111-114 (H/Wi 231-234) record chronic patients from 1901 to 1904, and a further series of volumes numbered 112-115 (H/Wi 250-252) records chronic patients from 1907 to 1908. The chronic ward was apparently considered as a separate unit at this date since some patients' records end with the note 'transferred to Winterton'.
Volume 52, a male/female continuation volume, does not appear to have survived.
Some volumes have been affected by damp, but are in reasonably good condition, except for volume ?48 (H/Wi 170), October 1884.
From 1913 case records were kept on loose leaves similar to the volume pages (including some printed pro-forma) and were filed in alphabetical order. On completion of a case the papers were filed in binders in alphabetical order according to the date and method of discharge (i.e. discharge or death). Each binder contains two or three years, e.g. 'male deaths 1913-1915', 'female deaths 1913-1915', 'male discharges 1913-1915', 'female discharges 1913-1915'. These binders were damaged by flooding and the pages are fragile and powdery. They have been treated with thymol vapour, the original damaged covers removed and wrapped in protective covering, but they can only be handled with care until repaired.
Record Office reference: H/Wi 123-230
Original volume numbers: [1]-110 (exc. 31)
Dates: 1858 - 1901
last case number in volume 109 is 11542 (volume 110 mainly continuations)
Record Office reference: H/Wi 231-234
Original volume numbers: 111-114
Dates: 1901 - 1904
Chronic cases
Record Office reference: H/Wi 235-249
Original volume numbers: 115-123
Dates: 1901 - 1909
General cases
males 11625 (vol. 115) to 14890 (admitted September 1909)
females 11588 (vol. 118) to 14316 (admitted March 1908)
Record Office reference: H/Wi 250-252
Original volume numbers: 112-115
Dates: 1907 - 1908
Chronic cases
Record Office reference: H/Wi 253-261
Original volume numbers: 124-127
Dates: 1908 - April 1913
General cases
males 14891 - 16222
females 14317 - 16224
Case notes are entered into the volumes in admission date order. The original volume numbers, where available, are listed in brackets. Case notes were allocated between two and six pages and were continued in other volumes when the pages were full.
See also individual admission records: D/X 1875/5/1-7
See also separate Male case papers and Female case papers
Ref: H/Wi 123See also male and female case papers
Ref: H/Wi 137See also male and female case papers
Ref: H/Wi 136Catalogue reference H/TEWV Acc: 3379 Boxes 30-54
Access restricted for 85 years
Consult County Archivist for access to Search Room index
Records of post-mortem autopsy reports on patients (excluding those made for coroners' inquests)
Ref: H/Wi 302