The way in which patient’s records are stored has changed greatly over time, reflecting broader shifts in the health service. For example, when David Lloyd George introduced health insurance for low paid male workers in 1911, all general practitioners started to use standardised ‘Lloyd George envelopes’ to store their notes in. Since the 1970s, doctors have begun to store their notes electronically, on increasingly sophisticated computer systems, and notes have also contained scans and images for new medical technologies such as CT and ECG scanners. (JC)
