Section 8 of the Hospitals Act 1918 defined the area of the Hobart Public Hospitals District as the City of Hobart. This remained unchanged until 25 June 1968 when the District was expanded to include 14 urban and rural municipalities (SR1968/98). These were Bothwell, Brighton, Bruny Island, Clarence, Cygnet (a mistake rectified to Port Cygnet by SR1968/159), Glamorgan, Green Ponds, Kingborough, New Norfolk, Oatlands, Richmond, Sorell, Spring Bay and Tasman. New Norfolk was reconstituted as a separate District on 15 January 1970 (SR1970/2). This was reversed on 20 June 1983 when the municipality of New Norfolk and the City of Glenorchy were added to the Hobart District (SR1983/125).~~ As part of a general reorganisation of the State's health services the Public Hospitals Districts were amalgamated into three regional bodies, with the Hobart District serving the south of the State. This was achieved on 19 June 1990 by adding the municipalities of Huon, Esperance and Hamilton (formerly the Huon and Ouse districts) to the Hobart District (SR1990/98). Legislation effective from 1 July 1991 replaced the Hospitals District Board with a Regional Health Board intended to further integrate hospital-based and community health services.~~ The Board constituted in 1918 had eleven members, seven appointed by the government, one each elected by the registered medical practitioners and the registered Friendly Societies in Hobart, and two nominated by Hobart City Council. In 1950 the Board was reduced to seven members. The government appointed the Chairman, vice-chairman and a woman, medical practitioners, Friendly Societies and the City Council each had a nominee, and the women's auxiliary of the Royal Hobart Hospital elected the seventh member. In 1965, as part of the move towards accreditation of the Royal as a teaching hospital, two representatives of the University of Tasmania were added to the Board. Finally, in 1978, the Board was increased to ten members with a representative of the staff in its hospitals and other establishments.~~ The 1918 Act had named the Hobart General (later Royal Hobart) Hospital a the only hospital managed by the Board. A number of government supported but privately run hospitals and centres were brought under the control of the Board and other government health services were transferred from centralised control by the Department to the management of the Board.~~ VAUCLUSE HOSPITAL was established by Hobart City Council in the early 1900s and operated as a private hospital until 1938 when the Board took it over for use as an infectious diseases hospital. With the scaling down of polio services in the 1960s Vaucluse became first a specialist geriatric and later an obstetric hospital and was closely associated with Royal Hobart Hospital in the latter roles.~~ WINGFIELD HOUSE opened in mid-1939 in the grounds of St John's Park to provide after-care for polio patients. The beds were closed in December 1971 but it continued as a day-care centre until July 1980 when it became part of the Douglas Parker Rehabilitation Centre.~~ The LADY CLARK REHABILITATION HOME was established at Claremont by the Australian Red Cross Society. It was purchased by the government in July 1950 and handed over to Royal Hobart Hospital for the treatment of orthopaedic cases from the whole of Tasmania. It closed in October 1980 and its functions were transferred to the Douglas Parker Rehabilitation Centre.~~ The DOUGLAS PARKER REHABILITATION CENTRE was established by the Board in 1980 to centralise the operations of Wingfield House and the Lady Clark Home. Although working closely with the Royal it accepts patients referred from other hospitals.~~ THE QUEEN ALEXANDRA began as a private maternity hospital in Battery Point. From 1950 management of the Hospital became more and more closely associated with the Royal Hobart Hospital. In August 1980 it closed its doors and moved into a new building on the Royal Hobart site.~~ The addition of 14 municipalities to the Hobart District in 1968 brought two more hospitals under the control of the Board: the New Norfolk District Hospital (until 1970 and then again from 1983 onwards) and the May Shaw Memorial Hospital at Swansea (which had apparently closed by 1983). In addition the Department decentralised the control of the District Nursing Centres it had taken over from the former Bush Nursing Association. The Hobart Board assumed responsibility for five, at Alonnah, Cygnet, Koonya (replaced by a District Nursing Hospital at Nubeenah by 1983), Oatlands (a District Nursing Hospital by 1983) and Triabunna. In 1972 the Board established Community Health Centres on the eastern shore of the derwent at Bridgewater, Clarence, Risdon Vale and Rokeby.~~ In 1990 the reconstituted Board became responsible for the Huon and Ouse District Hospitals and the Dover District Nursing Centre.~~