NHS Flashcards
What was the belief about the health of the people before 1900
Laissez Faire
What did Charles Booth’s report in 1899 reveal
35% of Londoners were living in abject poverty
What did Seebohm Rowntree’s report in 1901 find
Half the population of York were living in poverty
What did the Boer War reveal about the health of the people 1899-1902
1/3 of those who volunteered to fight were rejected because of poor health (unfit)
Aim of liberal social reforms
‘ to wage implacable warfare against poverty and squalidness’
Who provided healthcare before 1900
-Charities and poor law providers and unregulated private sectors
What changes did the National Insurance act 1911 bring about? Impact by 1936?
-Provided access to GPs and changed income limit to help with more prominent diseases
What was the Pioneer health centre
-An establishment created in Peckham in South East London
-Made sure that health and medicine were the same and should be treated together
What happened after WW1
-The population acquired the hospital habit- getting better treatment. (Well cared for in trenches)
-This contributed to hospital schemes
Who benefited most due to hospital expansion during the interwar years? Why?
-Women and children benefitted most because children were most typical to catch infectious disease. Moneys also went into maternal wards
-This would have meant that women would have a longer life expectancy as there is less risks to childbirth
Reasons in favour of creating an NHS
-Allows for equal good health among the rich and poor
-Reduce the amount of deaths dramatically
-Soldiers who fought in the war would get all their treatment funded. The government knew there were a large number of civilian casualties who would also need increasing care
-The national insurance scheme wasn’t working and a new scheme was needed
-The recruits for the war were often unfit for fighting due to poor health
Reasons against creating an NHS
-Local authorities and charities ran the 3000 British hospitals. They did not want to give up the authority
-Doctors did not want to be employed by the government as they would not be able to sell their services. (Thought that they would lose money)
-Many thought it would cost too much
-Many felt that the NHS would lead to a state where people expected something for nothing
-Many feared that the government were interfering too much in peoples lives and that they would know everything about everyone
When was the NHS implemented
5th July 1948
Successes with the creation of the NHS
-NHS has made healthcare accessible to all members of the public
-Made a major contribution to the increasing life expectancy in UK
-A continuing reduction in child and maternal mortality
-There have been major medical breakthroughs in many areas e.g transplant treatment, cancer treatment
-A wide range of services have been made available e.g cancer screening, asthma clinics etc
-An increasing emphasis on preventative medicine e.g mass vaccination against a variety of illnesses and health campaigns e.g to reduce smoking
-Helped to reduce the pressure many women felt as mains carers
Problems with the NHS
-From its very start in 1948 the cost of providing care has increased, putting pressure on the NHS budgets
-The NHS is no longer completely free. As early as 1952, prescription charges were introduced (e.gMedicine, dental , glasses). Free prescriptions have been reintroduced in Wales in 2007
-Lack of money means that there are now waiting lists for many operations. Some people have been refused costly services and medicines
-Increased life expectancy= ageing population, which has put pressure on NHS
Impact of NHS on public health
-People more aware of how their lifestyle can contribute to disease
-Life expectancy before NHS: Men =66, Women =70
In 1979: Men= 71, Women= 77
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Impact of NHS on class system
-Created more equality between WC and MC as both have equal access to healthcare
-However, investment in middle class areas were more significant than in WC areas. E.G 80% of surgeries in WC areas were built before 1900 and outdated, whereas 50% of surgeries in MC areas were up to date (built after 1900)
-Budget allocations in 1950s= more favourable to MC areas (£4.98 per head, WC area budgets= £3.19 per head)
4 main areas in women’s health that saw dramatic change due to introduction of the NHS
-Reproduction
-Abortion Rights
-Childbirth and maternity hospitals
-Women and work in the NHS
How did the NHS lead to a decline in birth rates
-The introduction of the contraceptive pill and better education opportunities for women = career orientate rather than family orientated so fewer babies
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Average number of children couples would have in 1920 compared to 1966
-1920- 2.4 children
-1966- 1.3 children
When was the abortion act introduced
1967
Why was the Abortion act 1967 controversial
-It was dependent upon two (very typically) male doctors and medical staff had the right to refuse
-They were more readily available and accessible to MC women
-Medical supervision within the NHS was poorly regulated and as a result 86 women died during a legal abortion between 1968 and 1978
The NHS made childbirth in hospital the norm for women
How many births occurred in hospital in the 1950s compared to 1978
-1950s- 60% births in hospital
-1978- 97% births in hospital
