When is the NHS 70th Anniversary, why was the National Health Service created and when did Aneurin Bevan create it?
The National Health Service is fast approaching its 70th anniversary but when exactly is the big day? Here's a potted history of how it began and some of the key milestones
THE NHS has been a part of British society for almost 70 years, delivering world-class health care to the nation, free at the point of use.
Let's look back at the birth of the service and why it was created in the first place.
When is the NHS 70th anniversary?
The National Health Service turns 70 on July 5, 2018.
It marks exactly seven decades since the beginning of the service promising healthcare from cradle to grave, free at the point of use for everyone.
Today the NHS is the UK’s largest employer, with over 1.5 million staff from all over the world and more than 350 different careers.
Its budget for 2018-19 is £126.3billion.
NHS70 is running celebrations throughout the year and looking back at the history.
For details on how to get involved, visit the .
Why was the NHS created and who did it?
Before the existence of the NHS patients in Britain were required to pay for their health care. Some voluntary hospitals did provide free treatment but for most they had to pay directly for their care.
Before the Second World War there was already a consensus that health insurance should be extended to the dependants of the wage-earner, and that the voluntary and local authority hospitals should be integrated.
A 1944 white paper proposed local authorities controlled voluntary hospitals.
When Labour came to power in 1945 under Clement Attlee, Bevan thought the authorities were too small to manage hospitals and decided to create an entirely new hospital service to organise it all into one service.
The NHS in England and Wales was created by the National Health Service Act 1946. Other legislation created the separate NHS in Scotland and Northern Ireland.
What are some of the milestones of the NHS?
July 5, 1948 – the NHS was launched by the then Health Secretary Aneurin Bevan at Park Hospital in Manchester – now called the Trafford General Hospital.
1958 – Polio and diphtheria vaccinations programme launched
1960 – the first UK kidney transplant took place at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary
1978 – the world’s first test-tube baby, Louise Brown, is born
1979 – the first successful bone marrow transplant on a child takes place
1986 – first Aids health campaign
1987 - Professor Sir Roy Calne and Professor John Wallwork carry out the world's first liver, heart and lung transplant at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge
1988 – breast screening introduced
1991 - NHS trusts established
1994 - Organ donor register set up
2002 –first successful gene therapy
2012 – first person in the UK gets a hand transplant