Assessment of Exeter Partnership NHS Trust records. (360G-Wellcome-081752_Z_06_Z)

The Devon Partnership NHS Trust, providing mental health and learning disability services for Devon has decided to discard a substantial number of individual patient records, together with at least two different card indices. These materials appear to date mainly 1930s - 1960s and are to be destroyed unless archived. They represent an important resource for researchers and for the engagement of scientific and historical scholarship with the wider public. The Devon Archivist has accepted the need to house these materials on a temporary basis until an effective means of sampling and retention can be found. The rationale for retaining these materials and developing a clear model for sampling what is a collection of some ten thousand patient files can be simply stated. Earlier deposits of health records, in particular those relating to mental health, have provided a foundation for major research initiatives at the Centre, including detailed studies of mental services in south west England before 1939. Relatively few collections of patient records for the post-1918 period have survived, though they complement studies of the nineteenth century which have drawn largely on such materials. The present proposal is for a brief (approximately 3 months) investigation of the medical records to assess their scope and organisation, and to identify an appropriate strategy for future sampling. The proposal envisages funding for one member of staff (a Research Assistant) under the direction of Dr Jo Melling (the applicant), in collaboration with the Devon Archivist, but housed in the Devon Record Office. John Draisey (Devon County Archivist) has agreed to the Research Assistant using office space, telephone facilities and associated resources at the Devon Record Office. Management will be arranged by monthly meetings, with reports prepared by the Research Assistant.