How to look for records of... Doctors and nurses

1. Why use this guide?

The National Archives is not the best place to find information about the careers and service of individual doctors or nurses. Most of the records we hold in this subject area relate to the administration and policy of health services. It is rare to find in-depth files about individuals; names may only appear within staff lists. However, this guide will help you find the records relating to individuals that we do hold and point you towards some of the most significant collections held in other archives

Note: The National Archives does not hold hospital patients’ records – for these you may need to go to the hospitals themselves. More information can be found in our guide to NHS patient records.

2. What do I need to know before I start?

The best place to start looking for nursing qualifications is with The Nursing and Midwifery Council or the Royal College of Nursing. We do not hold certificates of nurses’ qualifications, but we do hold some records relating to examinations, including pass-lists.

Many surviving records from hospitals are in local archives. You can view the types of records held locally using the Hospitals Records Database.

Health authorities are required to keep confidential records for the shortest practical time, though some hospitals may have older records. Administrative records of hospitals are normally closed for 30 years and patients’ records for 100 years.

To access many of the records in this guide you will either need to visit us or, where you can identify a specific record reference, order a copy (charges apply). Alternatively, you can pay for research.

3. Nurse’s Registrations 1984-2002 (SPRINT-UK database)

The National Archives holds a historical snapshot of the Single Professional Register and Index of Nurses in Training (SPRINT‑UK) dataset within record series KN 2. These records cover the period 1984–2002, when the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (UKCC) was responsible for maintaining the professional register.

The archived SPRINT‑UK data includes information such as name, address and personal details as well as qualification details and areas of practice both in UK and abroad and an indication if the individual has been subject to a professional conduct investigation. Payment processing details for registration fees are also part of the system.

Refer to the appendix of this guide if you wish to apply for your own registration details.

4. Other registers of nurses

4.1 Records of the General Nursing Council for England and Wales c.1860-1984

The General Nursing Council was established by the Nurses Registration Act in 1919. The GNC compiled and maintained a register of qualified nurses, acting as the disciplinary authority of the profession. There was no central register of civilian nurses before 1921. The register was initially divided into the general part, reserved for female nurses, with supplementary parts for fever nurses, male nurses, mental health nurses and sick children’s nurses. The books were updated to include new information such as change of name by marriage or removal from the register for non-payment of the retaining fee (until the fee was abolished by the Nurses Act 1949) or following disciplinary procedure. Before 1919, when the General Nursing Council was established, records of nurses were kept by individual nurse training schools, most of which were attached to major hospitals, where the records can often still be found.

4.2 Nurses examinations up to 1983

These records list the surnames of candidates who passed the examinations. They are arranged chronologically by examination type in Discovery, our catalogue.

Assessment pass lists and hospital results of the examinations set by the General Nursing Council are in DT 25 (1949-1983)

Final Intermediate and Preliminary Examination Papers are in DT 26 (1925-1983)

Preliminary and Intermediate Examinations, Results Lists in DT 27 (1924-1972)

Final Examination, Pass and Fail Lists in DT 28 (1925-1983)

4.3 Nurse’s Registrations up to 1984

Search the nursing registers held at the Royal College of Nursing on Ancestry.co.uk (charges apply). Before the General Nursing Council was established in 1919 the registers were kept independently by individual hospitals and this collection brings many of those registers together, along with the central registers which were subsequently compiled.

To view the paper versions you, or someone acting on your behalf, will need to visit us at our site in Kew where you will also have access to the printed name indexes which will help you to find the right entry in the registers. The records are in the following record series:

• The Register of Nurses 1921-1973 in DT 10 (arranged by registration number and year). The series contains a list of State Registered Nurses (SRNs) from 1921 to 1973 and include registration number, name, permanent address, date and place of registration, and qualifications. Use the printed nominal indexes (arranged alphabetically by year) in DT 10/1-56 to locate records in DT 10 (1921-1973). Although the Register in DT 10 was opened in 1921 it includes details of nurses who had qualified previous to this.
• The Roll of Nurses 1944-1973 in DT 11. Applications for admission to the Register of Nurses was only applicable for qualified nurses who had completed a three-year training course. There was a large group of second grade or assistant nurses with two years training who were therefore ineligible for registration. The Nurses Act of 1943 recognised the assistant nurse and the General Nursing Council regulated the formation, maintenance and publication of the roll. Use the printed nominal indexes in DT 11/1-9 to locate records in DT 11 (1944-1973). Note: In 1961 the name of the nurses was changed from assistant nurse to State Enrolled Nurse (SEN).
• The computerised register and roll 1973-1983 in DT 12 for State Registered and State Enrolled Nurses. This series contains the names of those nurses still on the register and roll in 1983, from the opening of the register on 30 September 1921 to the dissolution of the GNC at close of business on 30 June 1983. The series is arranged by part of Register or Roll. The names are arranged alphabetically by surname and initials. The records in DT 12/24-26 are not on a readable format.

4.4 The Nursing and Midwifery Council register 2002 – Today

The UKCC was replaced by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) in 2002. The NMC holds the current register of nurses, midwives, and nursing associates.

4.5 Midwives Roll 1872-1877, 1904-1983

Browse the midwives rolls by year in DV 7 in our catalogue (arranged alphabetically by year). This was compiled annually by the secretary of the Central Midwives Board in accordance with the provisions of the Midwives Act 1902. The series also contains a Register of Skilled Midwives at the Obstetrical Society of London April 1872 to July 1877 in DV 7/1.

Search the Midwives Roll on Ancestry.co.uk (charges apply) for the date of enrolment, qualifications and address of midwives practicing between 1904 to 1959. These were scanned from copies held at the Wellcome Library.

4.6 Records of the Queen’s Institute of District Nursing

Its functions were the training of district nurses and the supervision of county and district nursing associations. Selected records illustrating its work are in PRO 30/63 (arranged by counties).

4.7 Queen’s Nursing Institute Roll of Nurses 1891-1931

Search the Roll of Nurses from the Queen’s Nursing Institute on Ancestry.co.uk (charges apply) for basic career and biographical details of nurses enrolled at this community nursing charity. These were scanned from copies held at the Wellcome Library.

5. Doctors, Dentists and Medical Students

The Medical Directory lists names and addresses of doctors from 1845. From 1859 all doctors had to be registered, with details published in the annual Medical Register.

5.1 Medical registers 1859-1959

Search UK Medical Registers on Ancestry.co.uk (charges apply) for lists of doctors with their residence, qualification and date of registration. Registers were published annually but have only been digitised at 4 year intervals. These were scanned from copies held at the Wellcome Library.

The National Archives library holds paper directories for the following years: 1915-1921, 1924, 1927, 1930, 1933, 1936, 1939, 1942, 1944, 1950, 1953-1973

5.2 Medical directories 1845-1942

Search Medical directories on Ancestry.co.uk (charges apply) for published lists of practising and retired doctors in Britain and British colonies. It was not compulsory for a doctor to be listed. These were scanned from copies held at the Wellcome Library.

The National Archives library holds paper registers for the following years: 1895, 1898, 1902, 1913-1918, 1923, 1942, 1949, 1953-1969, 1971-1974, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1986, 1987, 2005, 2009

5.3 Medical and dental student registers 1882-1937

Search for UK Medical and dental student registers compiled by the General Medical Council on Ancestry.co.uk (charges apply) for records of all students of medicine and dentistry studying in the UK between 1882 and 1937. These were scanned from copies held at the Wellcome Library and The National Archives does not hold any copies.

6. Military records

6.1 Records of Royal Navy nurses, medical officers and surgeons

Explore the research guide Royal Navy nurses for advice on where to look. Search the records by name in ADM 101 for journals and diaries compiled by Royal Navy surgeons and assistant surgeons who served on HM ships, hospitals, naval brigades, shore parties and on emigrant and convict ships in the period 1793-1880. More about cataloguing the Royal Navy Medical Officers’ journals can be found here.

6.2 Records of British Army and Royal Air Force nurses

Explore the research guides on British Army nurses and Royal Air Force nurses for advice on where to look.

6.3 Records of medical personnel in the Polish Resettlement Corps 1940-1949

Records can be found at WO 315/13, WO 315/14 and WO 315/15 for Medical officers, pharmacists, dentists, and field ambulance officers who served in Polish Land Forces and Polish Resettlement Corps 1940-1949.

The records are in Polish.

7. Medical Officers and medical staff in Poor Law Unions

Browse the registers of paid staff in MH 9 (1837-1921) in our catalogue for records of medical officers, nurses, matrons, and assistant day nurses working for the Poor Law Unions and in the workhouses. Registers can include names, dates of appointment, salaries, and reason and year of leaving the appointment. Speculatively search the correspondence and papers in MH 12 (1833-1909) in our catalogue (arranged by Poor Law Union).

8. Hospital Inspectors’ Reports and Papers (c. 1938-1970)

Search DT 33 by hospital name or location. The early files relate largely to particular hospitals; their condition and history and the training schemes at them. The later reports are mainly on schools of nursing serving a number of hospitals. Reports can include lists of staff.

9. What records can I find in other archives and organisations?

Wellcome Library

Visit the Wellcome Library to view records of the Queen’s Nursing Institute (1887-1997), including lists of names submitted for appointment as Queen’s Nurses (1891-1969) and badge registers (1907-1945).

The London Archives

Contact London Archives for records of London training schools for nurses, including Guy’s Hospital and the Nightingale Training School.

Lambeth Palace Library

Browse the name index to medical licences issued by the Archbishop of Canterbury from 1535 to 1775 and held by Lambeth Palace Library.

The Worshipful Society of Apothecaries

Visit the website of the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries for advice on their historical records, including Apprenticeship bindings, membership records, candidates’ entry books, and the lists of Licentiates and pharmacy technicians.

The Royal College of Psychiatrists

Visit the website of the Royal College of Psychiatrists for advice on their historical records of the Royal Medico-Psychological Association (1891-1951), who trained and registered Mental Nurses and Attendants.

King’s College London Archive

Explore the King’s College London archive catalogue to find records of the Royal British Nurse’s Association (RBNA).

Royal Society of Medicine

View the archive material held at the Royal College of Medicine relating to the history and evolution of the medical profession.

Royal College of Surgeons

Explore the archives of the Royal College of Surgeons documenting the work and lives of surgeons, the patients they treated, and institutions they trained and worked in.

Independent medical colleges and societies may hold member lists and obituaries.

Websites

Search archived data from the Hospital Records Database to find information on the location of hospital records, including those about staff and patients, in the UK.

Consult the family history page on Royal College of Nursing Library and Heritage Services for advice on finding records of nurses. Notably they hold text-searchable digitised copies of the British Journal of Nursing from 1888 to 1956 (originally the Nursing Record).

Visit the website of the Royal British Nurses Association for general information on the history of nursing.

Explore the Queen’s Nursing Institute’s District Nursing 150 website for historical accounts of district nursing and nurses.

Search Munk’s Roll on the Royal College of Physicians website for obituaries of Fellows of the Royal College of Physicians dating back to the founding of the college.

Search the Historic Hospital Admission Records Project database for records of admissions to four major children’s hospitals, including Great Ormond Street, between 1852 and 1921.

Explore archived issues of medical journals like The Lancet and the British Medical Journal for obituaries and correspondence about medical practitioners.

Books

Susan Bourne and Andrew H. Chicken, Records of the Medical Professions: A Practical Guide for the Family Historian (1994).

Michelle Higgs, Tracing Your Medical Ancestors: A Guide for Family Historians (Pen & Sword Books: 2011).

John H. Raach, A Directory of English country physicians, 1603-1643 (Dawsons of Pall Mall: 1962).  This is based on ecclesiastical records, which can be found in local record offices and the Guildhall Library.

P.J. Wallis and R.J. Wallis, Eighteenth Century Medics (1985). This index lists approximately 35,000 practitioners gathered from sources like university alumni lists and book subscription lists.

Appendix: Applying for your own SPRINT-UK details, 1984-2002

The National Archives holds a historical snapshot of the Single Professional Register and Index of Nurses in Training (SPRINT‑UK) dataset. These records cover the period 1984–2002, when the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (UKCC) was responsible for maintaining the professional register.

You may request your own historical UKCC information (if you were registered between 1984 and 2002) by emailing digitalpreservation@nationalarchives.gov.uk with the information and proofs of identity below.

Information you need to provide

To help us locate your record, please supply as many of the following details as possible:

• Allocated PIN number
• ‘PID’ number if known
• Any: Married Name/ Maiden Name/ Previous Name of the relevant period of time
• Marital status of the time
• Date Of Birth
• Nationality
• Address details of that time period, with any changes notified to the UKCC
• Postcode(s)
• Details of Nursing Qualifications and Practice areas – General and Specialisms held at that time (e.g. RN1, RN3, MRM etc.)
• Any records/dates of instances of communication with system contacts for amendment or update of data where records may have been updated/noted on the system, e.g. payments/lost cards etc.

Providing your PIN is especially helpful.

Proof of identity and address required

Before we can release any personal data, we must confirm your identity.

One document for Proof of Identity

• Passport
• Photo driving licence
• Birth certificate

One document for Proof of Address

• Utility bill, bank or credit card statement (issued within 3 months)
• Current driving licence
• TV licence
• Local authority tax bill
• HMRC document (issued within 1 year)