Nye Bevans legacy came into the world 77 years ago this morning when, then Minister of Health in Attlee’s post-war government, Nye opened Park Hospital in Manchester at a time of rationing and shortages, when we were nearly bankrupt, a jewel that the war generation left us with, an amazing institution for us to all to continue to share. It;s one of the most important social reforms in British history.
Nye Bevan, once wrote, “No society can legitimately call itself civilised if a sick person is denied medical aid because of lack of means.” This statement, which is at the heart of our health service, still commands support from the vast majority of the UK population. The NHS encapsulates everything which Bevan stood for, and was the culmination of a life devoted to improving the lives of men and women across the country.
For the first-time doctors, nurses, opticians, dentists and pharmacists all worked under one organisation. It was a ray of hope in that bleak time, and it remains one today. The creation of the NHS in 1948 was the product of years of hard work and a motivation from various figures who felt the current healthcare system was insufficient and needed to be revolutionised.
Born to a post-war Britain amidst the rubble of war and a skeptical medical profession, the NHS has had its ups and downs over the years. However, its role and importance as a symbol of our Britishness and intense pride in being able to provide universal care, free at the point of delivery, has remained throughout, out of the belief that healthcare should be available to all, regardless of wealth, with health and care as priorities – not profit, .these ideals remains one of the NHS’s core principles.
Aneurin Bevan, Minister of Health, on the first day of the National Health Service, 5 July 1948 at Park Hospital, Davyhulme, near Manchester.
These ideas can be traced back to the early 1900s with the Minority Report of the Royal Commission on the Poor Law in 1909. The report was headed by the socialist Beatrice Webb who argued that a new system was needed to replace the antiquated ideas of the Poor Law which was still in existence from the times of the workhouses in the Victorian era. Those who were involved in the report believed it was a narrow-minded approach from those in charge to expect those in poverty to be entirely accountable for themselves. Despite the strong arguments provided in the report, it still proved unsuccessful and many ideas were disregarded by the new Liberal government.
Nevertheless, more and more people were beginning to speak out and be proactive, including Dr Benjamin Moore, a Liverpool physician who had great foresight and a pioneering vision of the future in healthcare. His ideas were written in “The Dawn of the Health Age” and he was probably one of the first to use the phrase ‘National Health Service’. His ideas led him to create the State Medical Service Association which held its first meeting in 1912. It would be another thirty years before his ideas would feature in the Beveridge Plan for the NHS.
Few now remember life before the NHS. Until 4 July 1948, every visit to a GP or hospital had to be paid for, unless covered by insurance or charity. Workers paid National Insurance but their dependents weren’t covered. Many families couldn’t afford private insurance, weren’t poor enough for ‘charity’, so suffered without health care. In some cases local authorities ran hospitals for the local ratepayers, an approach originating with the Poor Law. By 1929 the Local Government Act amounted to local authorities running services which provided medical treatment for everyone. On 1st April 1930 the London County Council then took over responsibility for around 140 hospitals, medical schools and other institutions after the abolition of the Metropolitan Asylums Board.
The idea of a state-run health service was mooted at the Labour Party Conference in 1934 by the then president of the Socialist Medical Association, Dr Somerville Hastings. Then the Beveridge Report of December 1942 called for 'Comprehensive Health and Rehabilitation Services' and set the seeds for the creation of the NHS and the creation of the Welfare State. Winston Churchill's attitude was one of ambivalence and when two years after the Beveridge report and it had become Labour Party policy, he became markedly more hostile. It was then Aneurin Bevan who wholeheartedly embraced and made sure the project was implemented and delivered after he became health minister in 1945.
It was a ray of hope in that bleak time, and it remains one today. The free service, based on need, not what money you have, is something that has become cherished by generation after generation. Many see it as Labour’s greatest socialist achievement. Today, we have a lot to thank the NHS for; from the introduction of polio and diphtheria vaccinations to all under 15-year olds to the success of smoking cessation services and cancer screening services, the NHS has been instrumental in many of the medical achievements the UK has seen over the last 77 years,. a shining example of what separates us from the US.
It offered for the first time a free healthcare system in the world that offered for completely free , healthcare that was made available on the basis of citizenship rather than the payment of fees or insurance. It has since played a vital role in caring for all aspects of our nations health. It has been the envy of the world ever since.
Today, nine in 10 people agree that healthcare should be free of charge, more than four in five agree that care should be available to everyone. The NHS remains one of our most precious national assets and is the institution that the public have said makes them most proud to be British. It is built on the effort, skill, and commitment of its staff, the support of patients and service users, and strong relationships with the communities it serves.
The deep love we have for our health service is one of the most tremendous aspects of living in Britain. The knowledge that if you ever get ill or have an accident, you’ll get the care you need, whatever your circumstances, is one of Labour’s greatest achievements.
It wouldn’t be possible to run a 7-day NHS, caring for millions of people day-in-day-out without the hard work and dedication of its staff. Despite all the adversity that’s thrown at them: poor pay, bursary cuts, hospital parking fines and staff shortages to name a few; they continue to become stronger and relentlessly deliver fantastic healthcare to the nation .The recent pandemic have once again highlighted the strength, professionalism , dedication and bravery of our healthcare staff. It is truly inspiring to see how amazing the staff handled the awful situation and it was a testament to every healthcare worker throughout the UK. They are a credit to our nation and we couldn’t be more proud.
The NHS here in Wales employs close to 72,000 staff which makes it Wales’ biggest employer.The NHS in Wales carries out around 360 thousand patient consultations every month in secondary care alone (not including GP visits or diagnostics) There are 79 babies born a day in Wales / with one birth every 18 minutes On average there are over 8,500 occupied NHS beds in Wales every day In the last 12 months, more than 20,000 patients started cancer treatment in Wales, But dedicated, compassionate staff are under increased pressure, leading to low moral. Recent figures have emerged that 2/4s of hospitals have been warned about dangerous staff shortages.
We should not forget Nye Bevan's words who said ' It will last as long as their are folk with enough faith to fight for it. Despite all its current issues and flaws it is still the UK's greatest achievement- free healthcare for all at point of need from cradle to grave. Nye Bevan's words ring as true today as they ever did.
On its birthday we should remember the NHS is a shining example of how a caring society can create good and safe care based on social solidarity., making such a great contribution towards social and health equality. A beacon to the world.
Thank you to all of those who have worked and who are still working tirelessly to provide the best care to over 64 million people in the UK. putting our communities and patients first - which shine through in the dedicated work of our doctors, nurses and health workers every day. The last 77 years wouldn’t have been possible without them. It is currently though in real danger, under attack from those that want to privatise it, run it down and fragment it ;
When the Government inevitably put out celebratory tweets today remember they are privatising it and with American plutocrats turning their eyes on the NHS, it's more important than ever that we continue to defend it with all we've got, Now, more than ever, it is vital that we stand together to defend our NHS from those who seek to undermine its core values.
The best way we can mark the 77th anniversary is to vow to remain true to the principles that underpinned the NHS from the beginning – treatment free from private companies and free at the point delivery. Now more than ever we need to fight for an NHS fit to work in and fit for purpose for another 77 years or more. and we must protect it from privatisation at all costs.
The NHS has sadly been systematically dismantled by both Conservative and Labour governments over four decades, with private US healthcare companies poised to feast on the carcass. From Margaret Thatcher’s first cuts, to Wes Streeting’s latest manoeuvres, the NHS has been hollowed out for profit, against the will of the British public.
Now, a new nightmare looms: a Reform UK victory in the next general election, led by Nigel Farage, could obliterate the NHS in as little as 2–3 years, turning the UK into a patchwork of corporate sovereignties where democracy is replaced by a CEO-led ‘Sovereign Corporation’. This isn’t a conspiracy: it’s a documented, deliberate, and devastating betrayal
The NHS was not given to us by the rich or powerful. It was won by struggle, built on the principle that healthcare is a right, not a privilege. Every cut, every privatisation, is a betrayal. The fight now is to save what we already paid for. We we must take this opportunity to hold politicians to account being aware that Wes Streetings and Keir Starmer's policies are going to cost lives and they're going to put more pressure on the NHS right at a time when it needs it the least.
Wes Streeting has accepted £’000’s from private #healthcare interests so no wonder his plan for the NHS is to treat it like the water companies have treated our rivers. Sign this petition to say no to putting profits before patients. https://weownit.org.uk/act-now/no-new-pfi-in-neighbourhood-health-services
Wes Streeting telling everyone that the choice is change or bust for the NHS just as defence spending increases, as do the levels of profiteering by multi national corporations proves UK Labour has gone full tory.
Whatever you think about Labour as a whole, you must see that Wes Streeting is bad for the NHS. There he is dripping in personnel private medicine investments, but now overlord of the NHS which is very vulnerable from years of underfunding, lack of adequate staffing, inadequate equipment, poor morale, and the infiltration of for profit privateers.
Streeting, has to listen to us now, no privatisation, invest fully in the NHS, keep the private sector out and also ensure that NHS staff receive the pay and conditions they deserve if we are to reward and protect the best thing about it – the people that make it run day-in, day-out. We cannot continue with the Conservative legacy of running the NHS into the ground under the guise of reforms.
Support campaigns by https://everydoctor.org.uk/ and Keep Our NHS public https://keepournhspublic.com/ to stop privatisation.
If Farage wins at next election the fight becomes existential: mobilise, protest, and vote to save the NHS and our democracy. The NHS belongs to us, not to US corporations, Farage, or his far-right libertarian allies. Act now, or lose it all by 2031.
Happy 77th Birthday to our NHS! The best thing this country has ever created ir deserve so much better than a Health Secretary who is 60%+ funded by donations from private healthcare . Let's insure you are here to stay. Thank you to every staff member and volunteer who' with skill and dedication have shaped our NHS - past, present and future.
No comments:
Post a Comment