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Celebrating 60 years of the NHS
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Last modified date:8 July 2008
Saturday, 5 July 2008 marked the 60th anniversary of the NHS. The NHS, stakeholders, patients and the public held a range of activities to mark this momentous milestone and to recognise the unique contribution the NHS makes to British society.
In 1948, for the first time prevention, diagnosis and treatment were brought together under one umbrella organisation to create one of the most comprehensive health services in the world: the NHS.
The NHS has shown the world the way to healthcare, not as a privilege to be paid for, but as a fundamental human right
Over the last 60 years, the hard work and skills of NHS staff, coupled with medical progress, has continually helped drive up standards and quality of care for millions.
People now live on average at least 10 years longer than they did in 1948. Deaths from cancer and heart disease have fallen dramatically and Britain is one of the safest places in the world to give birth.
The NHS has shown the world the way to healthcare, not as a privilege to be paid for, but as a fundamental human right. The values of the NHS - universal, tax funded and free at the point of need - remain as fundemental today to the NHS as they were when it was launched in 1948.
The NHS has never stood still, it has changed and reformed to meet the public’s expectations and the needs of a changing society. And the publication of Lord Darzi’s, Our NHS, our future report – based on a programme of engagement with staff and patients over the past year– sets out plans for an NHS of the future.
In conjunction with a proposed new NHS Constitution, the Our NHS, our future report sets a clear NHS vision for the next decade and beyond.
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