Founding of the NHS (1948)

The intellectual foundation of the NHS was the Beveridge Report, published in 1942 during the Second World War. Written by economist William Beveridge, the report identified five "Giant Evils" in society: Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor, and Idleness. It proposed a comprehensive welfare state to tackle these evils, including a national health service.

The report was hugely popular with the public and set the agenda for post-war social reform. When Labour won the 1945 general election under Clement Attlee, implementing the Beveridge proposals became a central priority.

Aneurin (Nye) Bevan, the Minister of Health, was the driving force behind the creation of the NHS. A Welsh politician from a mining community, he had seen first-hand the devastating impact of illness on working-class families who could not afford medical care. He negotiated with the medical profession — many doctors were initially resistant — to bring hospitals and general practices into the new national service.

The NHS came into existence on 5 July 1948. From that day, healthcare was provided free to all at the point of need, regardless of ability to pay — a revolutionary principle.

The NHS is one of the largest employers in the world. It remains a source of great national pride and is consistently cited by the British public as one of the things they most value about living in the UK. Its founding principle — that healthcare should be free at the point of need — continues to underpin the service today.