6. The Development of the NHS

About this Lecture

Lecture

In this module, we look at how the NHS has developed since its creation in 1948. Over the years, the original promise of a service that is comprehensive, universal and free has "by and large" been kept. Having said this, from the 1970s the service has strained due to increasing costs as a result of demographic change.

Course

In this course, Professor Martin Gorsky (LSHTM) explores the history of public health in the 20th century. We start by looking at what public health was like during the 19th century and before the creation of the NHS. We have a look at general trends across the century and also look at how both primary and secondary care functioned before the changes of the 20th century. We then turn to examine how the NHS came into being, taking a look at the impact of Wold War Two on its creation. Finally we look at how public health has developed since the creation of the NHS.

Lecturer

Professor Martin Gorsky is professor of the history of public health at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). His research focuses on the history of health systems in the West since the late 19th century. He has written widely on the subject of public health including his books Patterns of Philanthropy and Financing Medicine.