An online database of UK hospital records that was taken down in 2022 has been relaunched in a more accessible format.
HOSPREC, the Hospital Records Database, first began in 1979. It went online in 2000, where it was maintained first by the Wellcome Library and later by The National Archives (TNA). By 2012, it contained more than 2,800 entries, including information on hospitals, when they were open and where their archival records could be accessed.
In 2022, changes to the database’s underlying technology meant that the original website could no longer be maintained, although the dataset was preserved on the UK government website.
TNA has now announced a relaunched version of HOSPREC.
“The redesigned site offers improved navigation and a cleaner user experience,” TNA said on its website. “It also provides direct links to Discovery (The National Archives’ catalogue), repository websites, and contact information, making it easier to locate and access relevant records.”
It also said there was the potential to add new hospitals to the database in the future.
