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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(Not) Shopping for Health: The Limited Appeal of the Medical Marketplace in a Rights-Based Universal Healthcare System

Roberta Bivins, Centre for the History of Medicine, University of Warwick This blog was written by Roberta Bivins in response to presentations by David Herzberg and Nancy Tomes, made at the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, and organised by the Consortium for History of Science, Technology & Medicine.  The presentations surrounded the issue of why (and when) we refer to
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News & Events

NHS from A to Z

After three years of running this project, and post seventy years of the NHS, we’re taking the opportunity to reflect on some of the historical pieces we’ve written on this website. We have not provided a comprehensive vision of the NHS – this massive, meaningful, complex, critical service. However, we do hope that we’ve provided slightly more insight into the
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Taking the NHS home: The NHS in our houses

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

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Born in the NHS

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