Dummies Guide to the NHS
What is the NHS?
The NHS is the National Health Service. This is a publically funded service that provides healthcare to people in the United Kingdom. This includes doctors, dentists, hospitals, health visitors and the ambulance service.
When was the NHS started?
The NHS started on July 5th, 1948. This followed a series of debates and government studies about provision of healthcare. Before the war the British Medical Association had published a pamphlet calling for a unified health service across the country. The outbreak of the second world war led to an Emergency Medical Service being estabished, which effectively nationalised the health service for the duration of the conflict. During the war the government set up an enquiry into healthcare and the resulting ‘Beveridge Report’ of 1942 called for a National Health Service, amongst other things. This was then put before parliament in 1944 and in 1946 a ‘National Health Service Act’ was passed. This legisation created the NHS, and set the timescale for it being established in 1948.
Why did the government start the NHS?
Before the NHS the health system was often based on the ability of someone to pay for treatment. There were free ‘voluntary’ hospitals and charity based hospitals but there was no guarantee of healthcare for all and services across the country were varied in terms of quality and availability. When the NHS was launched the minister in charge said that the NHS was based on three core prinicples:
* That it meet the needs of everyone
* That it be free at the point of delivery
* That it be based on clinical need, not ability to pay
What opposition was there to the foundation of the NHS?
At the time there was considerable opposition to the idea of a National Health Service. Some people argued that local authorities were better placed than the government to run hospitals. Opposition came from consultants who were concerned about the impact that the NHS would have on their income and ability to govern their own profession. There was also a fear that the poor would overburden the NHS and that there would be a prolongued ‘rush’ for pills, glasses and so on. These problems weren’t easily overcome and concessions had to be made to consultants in order to get the medical profession to accept the NHS.
What has been the impact of the NHS?
Life Expectancy in the UK has risen. In 1948 it was 71 for women and 66 for men. Now it is 81 for women and 77 for men.
Infant mortality figures have improved. Now just 6.2 deaths per 100,000 births compared with 86 in 1948.
This article on the Independent website provides further examples of the impact of the NHS.
