To What Extent Did the NHS Improve the Provision of Healthcare, 1948-1979? Flashcards
Improvement in Public Health
General Improvement
Changed attitudes, increased education, improved healthcare
Life expectancy increased- 66 men, 70 women (1948) to 71 men, 77 women (1979)
Improvement in Public Health
Demand
Increased demand- for the first time many could see a GP and recieve treatment they couldn’t previously afford
June 1948- 6.8 million prescriptions, September 1948- 13.6 million
Improvement in Treatment
Pharmacological Revolution
1948-64- increased funding to research + development
1948, 1 type of antibiotic, 1968, 33 types
1948, no medicine to reduce blood pressure, 1968, 18 different types
Improvement in Treatment
Vaccination
1948, only smallpox vaccine routinely given
1964, routine vaccines for diphtheria, tuberculosis, poliomyelitis, whooping cough, and tetanus
Universally available
Improvement in Treatment
New Procedures
1960s- hip replacements, kidney dialysis, open heart surgery, and organ transplants available
By 1979- 800 kideny transplants a year, and 5,000 heart bypasses
Improved Services for Women
Midwifery
Falling maternal deathrate
1948- 1 in 1,000, 1979- 0.1 in 1,000
Lower than USA
1950s- only 50% gave birth in hospital, by 1979 almost 97% did
Improved Services for Women
Contraception
The Pill introduced in 1961- gave women more sexual freedom and control over their bodies + fertility
1962- 100,000 took The Pill, 1970, 1 million
Abortion Act (1967) made abortion legal up to 28 weeks- free on NHS, but had to be certified by 2 doctors
Increasing Cost
Statistics
1970- cost had doubled
4.1% of GNP in 1950, by 1970 4.8%
Spending increased by 4.5% a year 1960-1975 (demand, cost of drugs, staff)
Increased Cost
Staff
Complex procedures- more highly-qualified staff
Consultants and medical staff increased by 66% from 1964 to 1979, number of technical staff increased by 300%
1948-70, number of staff rose from 500,000 to 1 million, overall cost doubled
Inequality of Access
Merrison Report
1970
Hospitals receiving 70% of total NHS funding, GP surgeries and preventative health programmes underfunded
Mental health services underfunded + poor quality
Regional inequalities- much of Hospital Plan (1962) funding spent in London
Inequality of Access
Class Divides
M/c benefitted more than w/c
W/c areas- over 80% of GP surgeries built pre-1900, only 50% in m/c areas
Research in 1950s- budget allocation favoured m/c- hospitals recieved £4.98 per head (m/c areas) and £3.19 (w/c areas)
1972 study- per capita budgets 25% higher
Inequality of Access
Inverse Care Law
Study by Dr Julian Hart
Inverse relationship between need + good quality treatment
Most medical need and least ability to pay for private care had worst available treatments
Inequality of Access
Black Report
1980- Department of Health
Gap between health of m/c and w/c grew between 1949-1980
W/c women twice as likely to die in childbirth, w/c men twice as likely to die before 65
