Post
by macliam » Tue Jul 05 2022 3:45pm
74 years ago, on 5 July 1948, The NHS was founded by the Labour government and under the guidance of Aneurin Bevan. .
It had at its heart three core principles:
- That it should meet the needs of everyone
- That it should be free at the point of delivery
- That treatment should be based on clinical need, not ability to pay.
To reach that stage, opposition by the Conservative and the BMA forced certain compromises on the planned service....... notably the continued existence of private medical provision and the system of contracts by which the NHS would gain service from private individuals - notably the GPs and Consultants.
Unfortunately , three years after the foundation of the NHS, Bevan resigned from the government over proposed charges for dental and optical treatments and the following year Churchill's Conservative government further eroded NHS provision by the introduction of prescription charges........ and so it has continued.
So, Happy birthday NHS! Let's hope you live to reach 75.........
Just because I'm paranoid, it doesn't mean they're not out to get me