Supervision registers were formally introduced into the NHS from 1 April 1994. Health Service Guidelines issued by the NHS Executive (HSG(94)5) in February 1994 set out the action that health authorities and provider units had to undertake. It was recognised that the timescale for implementation was unrealistically short and HSG(94)5 therefore conceded that full implementation could be delayed until 1 October 1994 at the latest.