Creation of a healthcare system 1918-79 Flashcards
When was the Ministry of Health introduced and what did it do?
•1919
• responsible for the administration of Poor Law, local authority health (midwifery, public service provision)
What was the Ministry of Health meant to do?
• was recommended by the Dawson report to be a network of teaching hospitals, primary and secondary health care
• however lacked political will and funding
When was the Local Government Act introduced and what was it meant to do?
• 1929
• gave PACs the incentive to turn Poor Law infirmaries to proper public hospitals
How was the 1929 Local Government Act ineffective?
• by 1939 half of public hospitals were poor law infirmaries (attached to workhouses to provide relief to older people)
• Poor Law unions covered some of the medical cost, but not all of it
How was the 1929 Local Government Act effective?
•Poor Law hospitals in bigger towns were integrated with other health services
•led to the development of rehabilitation services and geriatric medicine for the elderly, reducing the number of bed blockers
How many voluntary hospitals existed before the NHS and why was this not effective
•1100
• understaffed and often went bankrupt
When was the National Blood Transfusion Service introduced?
1946
When was the Emergency Medical Service introduced?
1939
How many civilians were killed by German bombs during WW2?
60,0000
How many soldiers were killed and wounded in WW2?
•287,859 (290,000) killed
• 274,148 (275,000) wounded
How many copies of the Beveridge report were sold?
• 635,000 copies sold
What were the developments in antibiotics between 1948 and 1968
• 1948 - 1 antibiotic available
• 1968 - 33 antibiotics available
What was the development of TB cases between 1948 and 1958?
number of deaths per year fell from 25000 to 5000 due to new antibiotic drugs from the USA
When was dipheria eradicated alive?
• 1967
• mass immunisation programmes conducted by the NHS
When did the first successful heart transplant take place?
1979
When was the pill introduced and how many people were using it in 1969?
• 1961
• 1 million people using it by 1969
When did the first hip replacement take place?
1962
How did life expectancy increase between 1950 and 1979
men - 66 to 70
women - 71 to 75
How much of GNP did the NHS take up between 1950 and 1970
• 4.1% in 1959
• 4.8% in 1970
When did the first kidney transplant take place and how much of the NHS budget did it take up by the 1990s?
• 1960
• 3% of the budget
What did improved midwives lead to?
maternal deaths in childhood 1/100 to 0.18/1000
In 1970, how many people suffered from arthritis?
• 200,000 men
• 700,000 women
How did Bevan convince doctors to join the NHS?
• Feb 1948 - 90% of the British Medical Association said no to NHS
• July 1948 - 90% said yes
• because Bevan ‘stuffed their mouths with gold’
How was Bevan significant in convincing the government/ public to support his NHS reforms?
• persuaded Attlee to come down on his side in Cabinet
• shaped public support
• got the majority of Conservative supporters favouring his scheme in a 1948 poll
How was Christopher Addison significant in the establishment of the NHS?
Backed Bevan’s proposals. Significant as:
• had close relations with Attlee
• respected in cabinet (Head of House of Lords, appointed by Attlee)
• respected on medical grounds as a physician
When was the White Paper ‘A National Health Service’ implemented and why was this significant?
•1942
• demonstrated both coalition support and a public desire for a comprehensive scheme
• demonstrated that some form of NHS would definitely be established
Why was the wartime Conservative Minister of Health Henry Willink?
• laid the groundwork for some necessary compromises Bevan later built on, e.g allowing GPs to continue as independent contractors
• demonstrated that some form of NHS would be implemented
