The National Health Service was launched on 5th July 1948. At Gartnavel Royal Hospital, a flag raising ceremony was held. The flag depicted the sun rising – a suitable symbol for the great optimism about the new service. During the first few weeks patients flooded into doctors’ surgeries – men with huge hernias restrained by trusses, women with prolapsed uteruses, thousands of near-deaf people without hearing aids, tens of thousands wearing second-hand spectacles.

Anuerin ‘Nye’ Bevan, the Minister of Health given the job of instituting the new National Health Service, said that the NHS would “lift the shadow from millions of homes”. Now it is clear that he was right. It was the Second World War which made the NHS possible. The war produced a sense of social solidarity and cross-party consensus. In 1942, a famous report by Sir William Beveridge called for the creation of a National Health Service. The wartime coalition Government then produced a scheme for implementing that recommendation.

 

“Everybody, irrespective of means, age, sex or occupation shall have equal opportunity to benefit from the best and most up-to-date medical and allied services available”. Once the war ended, the newly Labour Government strove to turn this promise into reality.

 

A special concert celebrating the 60th anniversary of the NHS has been organised for Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. A special anniversary website, www.nhsggc.org.uk, has also been created, complete with a fabulous selection of archive footage, photographic stills, patient stories and links to documents and leaftlets dating back to 1948.

Glasgow’s Royal Concert Hall July 5 from 12 noon onwards are free to readers.
To make sure of tickets for the Diamond Anniversary Show call the ticket line on: 0800 027 7246.