This Act set the pattern for the hospital system which was to endure for over a hundred years. The country was divided into hospital districts (twenty-eight in the first instance), each controlled by a board whose members were appointed annually by the local authorities of the district. From 1909, however, hospital boards were elected directly by the electors of each district, and their tenure of office was three years. Many women served on hospital boards and both brought and gained invaluable skills through their participation.