Discovery Of NHS

• NHS was introduced in 1948.
• During WW2, many children were evacuated from towns to better-off homes in countryside. Middle class families were shocked to see unhealthy and under nourished children.
• In 1942, the government asked Sir William Berveridge to wrtie a report on what should be done to improve people's lives. The report reccomended setting up a national health service, free for everyone and paid from taxes and medical staff would become government employees and paid by the state.
• Around 1948, more investment was put in training staff such as docters who can provide specialist care, nurses also developed specialist skills for instance how to to care for cancer patients undergoig radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
• One major government investment after 1948 was on hospitals.
• Between 1948 - 1999, patients can still catch some diseases in hospitals despite adavnces in hygiene and science. A superbug (MRSA) can still kill people as these bacteria developed immunity to some antibiotics.
• The first MRSA outbreak occurred at St Mary's Hospital in London in 1960s.
• The care quality commision checks care in hospitals and forces them to make improvemnts if needed.
• Magic bullet (1910) - Salvarasan 606 was the first medical drug that killed bacteria in human body.
• National insurance requires the workers and government to pay sickness fund when workers are ill. When workers fell ill, they would make 10 shillings a week for up to 26 weeks and free medical care.