Describe and explain the foundation of the National Health Service (NHS)

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Describe and explain the foundation of the National Health Service (NHS)

The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four  systems in the . When Aneurin Bevan, a health sectary, opened Park Hospital in Manchester, it was the peak of a great ambitious plan to bring good healthcare to all. This was the origination of the NHS. In this essay, the foundation of the NHS will be explored and the reasons as to why it was initially created will be analyzed. A conclusion deciding the effectiveness of the NHS will be decided.

Several factors caused the NHS to be set up in 1948. In the 20th century, the government had become increasingly concerned about the health care, especially as the Beveridge report in 1942 identified disease as a problem for the government to deal with. The bombings in World War Two caused many casualties in the cities, and children were forced to be evacuated to the countryside. From this change, many people were shocked by the poverty they had been brought up in.  The public desired a ‘New World’ with better conditions for all. Furthermore, there has been a requirement to organize hospitals and medical staff during the war due to the amount of casualties. By the mid-20th century, there was an increase in acceptance concerning the government being involved with the public’s lives, and so people accepted the fact that the government would shape their health care. Due to an increase in medical advancements, many break-throughs were discovered, and this meant that much more could be done for the sick.

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The right to see a GP and to be referred to hospital was permitted to the public by the NHS. This was beneficial because those who could not afford an examination could now be not only referred but also treated. This could have potentially saved lives as those with a serious illness could have been saved, or those whom could not afford a GP and less threatening condition that could have mutated into something bigger.

Previously, only those covered by the national insurance system could see a GP free of charge and non-working women and children were not covered. ...

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