Health: Liberal Reforms, Interwar, Labour post-ww2

Question 1

When was the Education (Administrative Provisions) Act?

Answer 1

1907

Question 2

What were the positives and negatives of the medical inspections in schools act?

Answer 2

POSITIVES:
School health inspections helped diagnose serious illnesses such as rickets and TB.

NEGATIVES:
School health inspections were free - BUT the treatments were not free. As a result, poor parents could not afford to treat their ill children.

Question 3

Health and Diet before the Liberal Reforms (1900~)

Answer 3

• Women mostly ate bread and tea and saved the meat and potatoes for the men.
• Illness denied families of permanent economic stability as they had to pay for healthcare.
• The introduction of the 5p packet of cigarettes in 1885 worsened health.
• Families with incomes less than 30s a week struggled and were undernourished.
• The quality of food improved - but it was high in fat and sugar. Margarine was seen as a cheap alternative to butter but was low in vitamins and led to the development of rickets.

Question 4

Health post WW1 and Social Reforms

Answer 4

• Rise in malnutrition - the poor still couldn’t afford treatment or good food.

SOCIAL REFORMS:
1929 - Conservative Local Government Act:
- The local government were responsible for managing healthcare provision.
- Specialist hospitals developed, teaching hospitals.
- Poor Law hospitals converted into local hospitals which ran school medical inspections.
IMPACT:
- By 1938 England and Wales provided more than 75,000 hospital beds.
- GPs treated more people through NI schemes. By 1938, 43% of the population was insured, mainly for injury, not for illnesses.
- Healthcare improved, mostly in affluent areas.

Question 5

INTERWAR diet and health

Answer 5

• By 1922, infant mortality had halved from 1900.
• More people lived over 65 years old.
• Diets improved following the rationing during WW1.
• The amount of money spent on alcohol decreased due to the rise of entertainment and pub restrictions.
• After the First World War, medical discoveries enabled scientists to try and prevent and eradicate diseases such as TB and measles.

Question 6

Health during the Depression (the 1930s).

Answer 6

• Children still suffered from measles, TB and rickets.

- 1/4 of all households lived in poverty.

Question 7

Health under Neville Chamberlain (1937-1940).

Answer 7

• In 1939, Britain only grew enough food to feed 1 in every 3 people.
• Butter, sugar, bacon and meat were rationed from early 1940.
• In 1940, the “Grow Your Own” campaign used figures such as Potato Pete and Dr Carrot to encourage people to grow vegetables.

LONG-TERM IMPACT:
Many of the poorer families benefitted from rationing as they were able to ensure a steady flow of food for their families.

Question 8

1942 - Beveridge Report - LABOUR GOV.

Answer 8

Reforms to tackle DISEASE:

• 1948 - NHS Act passed (Nye Bevan) - universal, comprehensive, free at the point of use.
• Treatment at GPs, hospitals, dentists and opticians were all free.

SUCCESSES:

• NHS was the greatest single achievement in the development of the welfare state - treatment and health were no longer based on your ability to pay.
• By far was the greatest post-war reform in terms of meeting the needs of the British people.

LIMITATIONS:

• Doctors, dentists, opticians were inundated with patients requiring treatment that had been previously been unable to pay for.
• Prescriptions rose from 7 million to 13.5 million after the Act was introduced.
• Around 90% of doctors opposed a free health service, as they did not want to lose money or freedom of having their private practices.

10/10 - Giant was defeated. Allowed people the free healthcare treatment they needed. Greatly benefited the working class, as they did not need to pay.