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Government Role in Medicine

National Health Service

  • Healthcare was severely limited

  • Poor couldn’t afford healthcare

  • Health was poor

  • National Insurance Act (1911) meant that sometimes health insurance was paid but this was made harder once WW1, and several economic slumps in the 20s and 30s happened

  • Beveridge wrote a report called ‘from the cradle to the grave’ emphasising the need for attention on all classes, and social security

  • Report became a well known best seller

  • Labour Party instated National Insurance and NHS

  • NHS was founded in 1948

  • Bevan was Minister of Health

  • Bevan founded NHS essentially

  • Bevan made sure it became compulsory for NHS to be funded by National Insurance

  • Most doctors and hospitals had joined the NHS quickly

They offer:

  • Maternity services

  • Accident and emergency care

  • Major surgery

  • Pharmacies

  • Sexual Health Care

  • General Practitioners (GPs)

  • Dentists

  • Mental Health Services

Vaccination Campaigns

Diphtheria

  • Caused by bacteria in the nose and throat
  • Leads to heart failure
  • Vaccination made in 1926 but not widely used
  • Government made public campaigns e.g: posters, radio broadcasts, newspaper advertisements
  • Campaigns led to vaccine becoming widely used and cases rapidly decreasing

Polio

  • Infection that attacks digestive system, bloodstream, and nervous system
  • Can lead to paralysis
  • Mostly seen in children
  • 40s and 50s saw polio epidemics making many children disabled
  • National campaigns came with the release of the vaccination in 1956
  • Cases are now rare

Lifestyle Campaigns

  • Laws e.g: limiting air pollution to prevent lung diseases such as asthma or bronchitis
  • Change4Life - campaigning for healthy eating and exercise since levels of obesity were increasing
  • Drinkaware - campaign for drinking responsibly/not in excessive amounts since alcoholism was increasing