Leith Hospital
Scope and Contents
Management 1846-1948; administration 1905-1985; patients (bound records) 1904-1987
Dates
- Creation: 1846-1987
Language of Materials
English.
Conditions Governing Access
Public access to these records is governed by UK data protection legislation, the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002, and the latest version of the Scottish Government Records Management: Health and Social Care Code of Practice (Scotland). Whilst some records may be accessed freely by researchers, the aforementioned legislation and guidelines mean that records conveying sensitive information on named individuals may be closed to the public for a set time.
Where health records relate to named deceased adults, they will be open 75 years after the latest date referenced, on the next 1 January. Case records of individuals below 18 years of age or adults not proven to be deceased will be open 100 years after the latest date recorded, on the next 1 January. Further information on legislation and guidelines covering medical records can be found here: https://bit.ly/2CXB4V8.
LHSA encourages the use of these records for legitimate clinical, historical and genealogical research purposes, and records that are designated as closed can be consulted by legitimate researchers if certain conditions are met. Please contact the LHSA Archivist for more details regarding procedures on how you can apply for permission to view closed records. Telephone us on: 0131 650 3392 or email us at lhsa@ed.ac.uk.
Biographical / Historical
Origins lie in the Edinburgh and Leith Humane Society, 1788. A dispensary opened in 1815 followed by a casualty hospital in 1837. Both combined to form Leith Hospital in 1848, which was formally incorporated in 1907. Thereafter it served as a general hospital for men, women and children and included an accident unit. Women medical students were admitted for clinical instruction in 1886. Leith Hospital became part of the Edinburgh Northern Hospitals under the South Eastern Regional Hospital Board. From 1974, it was part of the North Lothian District of Lothian Health Board. The hospital closed in 1987 and functions were transferred to Western General Hospital.
Extent
14.8 shelf metres: papers, bound volumes
Arrangement
Chronological within record class
Other Finding Aids
Manual item-level descriptive list available
Custodial History
Records held within the National Health Service prior to transfer
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Leith Hospital Administrator, May 1986
Accruals
No further accessions are expected
Bibliography
- Title
- Leith Hospital
- Language of description
- Undetermined
- Script of description
- Code for undetermined script
Repository Details
Part of the Lothian Health Services Archive Repository
Centre for Research Collections
Edinburgh University Library
George Square
Edinburgh EH8 9LJ Scotland
+44 (0)131 650 3392
lhsa@ed.ac.uk