People's History of the NHS

Latest Entries from the Encyclopaedia

Outsourcing in the NHS

The expression most commonly included in descriptions of the National Health Service – “free at the point of use” – refers to one feature that most people in Britain might easily identify. That we can go to the hospital or GP and not have to pay is immediately apparent and widely known. However, arguably this is not the element of
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The Winter of Discontent in the NHS

Between October 1978 and February 1979 Britain experienced a wave of strikes on a scale that hadn’t been seen since the General Strike of 1926. First Ford workers, then lorry drivers, council workers and NHS staff all walked out causing severe disruption to public services. This series of events came to be known as “the Winter of Discontent”. This phrase,
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Insulin and Diabetes: Alan Nabarro’s Story

How insulin saved the life of Alan Nabarro and millions like him Before the discovery of insulin in 1922, a diagnosis of type-1 diabetes was a death sentence.  Alan Nabarro (1914-1977) was one of the first people in the UK whose life was saved by the new treatment, and his personal papers, which can be accessed at the Royal College
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The NHS explained in eight charts

The NHS explained in eight charts Maria Goddard, University of York The Beveridge Report outlined a radical plan for a National Health Service, provided free to all UK citizens, regardless of their income. Seventy years later, the groundbreaking NHS is as complex as it is large (it is the fifth biggest employer in the world). To break down the complexity
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News & Events

What would a Museum of the NHS look like?

This provocative question – what would a Museum of the NHS look like? – is one which we have asked at public events and meetings throughout our research project.  We think it is a question which is deeply revealing of attitudes towards the NHS, and changing beliefs about its meaning, cultural value, and everyday place in people’s lives.  Yesterday we
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Visit The Galleries

The Royal College of Physicians and the NHS

NHS Glasses

Waiting in the NHS

The King’s Fund

Leeds Hospital Alert

Taking the NHS home: The NHS in our houses

Giving Birth under the NHS: A Brief History in 8 Objects

Graffiti and the NHS

Born in the NHS

Portraits of Bevan

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The People's History of the NHS on the BBC



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Five Questions: Joe O’Donaghue’s First Memory

Five Questions: Dr Saeed’s First Memory

Five Questions: June Rosen’s First Memory

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