There have been some incredible achievements in 75 years of the NHS (Picture: PA/Getty/REX)
A medical historian has gone back in time to celebrate some of the biggest achievements of the NHS as it celebrates its 75th birthday.
The National Health Service was formed in 1948 and it’s widely considered one of the institutions which makes people feel most proud to be British.
Dr Nicola Tallis, a medical historian, has scoured the archives to reveal the biggest and most influential moments of NHS history.
From the world’s first test tube baby to the launch of the contraceptive pill, the NHS has been at the forefront of medical progress, helping to save and improve lives.
Dr Tallis said: ‘The NHS forms part of the fabric of our nation, and its impact on the medical history of Britain, in every area of medicine, cannot be overstated.
‘There is no question that the NHS is an integral part of our society, whose services most – if not all – of the UK population have relied upon at some point in their lives.
‘The fact that it is the biggest employer in Europe also reflects both its scale and its impact, and coupled with the advances in modern medicine, it continues to save, change, and improve lives.’
Other major milestones by the NHS include the launch of the Mental Health Act in 1983, and in 1994 when the organ donor register was set up.
Aneurin Bevan (second left) is considered the founder of the NHS (Picture: PA)
A poll of 2,000 Brits found 85% of the nation believe the NHS is one of our finest achievements.
90% say even if they don’t use it regularly, they feel better knowing it’s there – and 88% say it makes them proud to be British.
A spokesman from Archvale, which carried out the poll, said: ‘There have been countless reams of column inches devoted to the trials and tribulations facing the NHS.
‘We wanted to take the nation’s temperature regarding how much they used the service and found many still hold it dear.
‘Although it’s going through a difficult period at the moment, millions still rely on the NHS, and it’s something the nation is rightly very proud of.’
The coronavirus vaccine rollout was voted one of the greatest achievements of the NHS (Picture: PA)
These are the top 10 biggest NHS achievements since it was established 75 years ago, as ranked by Brits:
1948 – The formation of the NHS
At the top of the list, the NHS’s formation itself is a huge achievement.
This is when healthcare services became free for all at the point of delivery, funded predominantly from taxation, following the introduction of the National health Service Act in 1946.
The NHS was the world’s first universal health care system.
1958 – The first mass vaccination programme
Everybody aged 15 or under was vaccinated against polio and diptheria – two illnesses which were prevalent across the UK.
The roll-out was a huge success, reducing cases of both illnesses dramatically.
Babies and children today are still vaccinated against polio, diptheria and tetanus, meaning there are very few cases of the illnesses in modern Britain.
1968 – The UK’s first heart transplant
Although heart transplants had been considered and attempted for decades previously, the first successful heart transplant in the UK took place at the National Heart Hospital in London – and it was the 10th successful transplant in the world.
Initially there were concerns about ethics, as the concept of ‘brain death’ had no real definition and there were questions as to how to decide someone was ‘dead’ if their heart was still beating – which is essential for transplant.
The successful first transplant was carried out by Donald Ross. The patient was 45-year-old Fred West and the donor was Patrick Ryan, a builder who suffered an unsurvivable head injury during a workplace accident.
The contraceptive pill is free on the NHS (Picture: Getty Images)
2020 – the Covid-19 vaccination roll-out
On December 2 the Pfizer coronavirus vaccine was approved for use in the UK – the first country to authorise its use in the world.
Later that month the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine was also given approval.
A report from the National Audit Office found the NHS operated at ‘unprecedented pace, scale and complexity’ to save lives and reduce the number of people requiring hospitalisation due to serious illness.
1994 – The Organ Donor Register is established
Since the register was set up, it’s helped to save up to 20,000 lives and there are now nearly 25 million people on the list.
In 2020 the register became opt-out in England and Scotland, meaning everyone will be considered as having agreed to donate their organs when they die, unless they record a decision not to or are part of an excluded group.
The register had already become opt-out in Wales in 2015.
1978 – The birth of the world’s first ‘test tube baby’ – the first baby born through IVF
In yet another example of the NHS leading the way in healthcare globally, the first baby born after conception by in vitro fertilisation (IVF) was born in Oldham, Manchester.
Louise Joy Brown was born on July 25 of that year by planned Caesarean section and delivered by registrar John Webster.
Her parents, Lesley and John, had been trying to conceive for nine years and Lesley had blocked fallopian tubes, which caused complications.
The IVF procedure was developed by Patrick Steptoe and Robert Edwards, and Mr Edwards received the 2010 Nobel Prize in Medicine for his work.
1988 – Free breast screening is introduced
The NHS breast screening programme began in 1998 and aimed to invite all women aged 50-70 for a mammogram every three years.
The programme now screens 1.3 million women every year, which makes up about three-quarters of those invited, and diagnoses about 10,000 people with breast cancer annually.
Research shows regular screening between the ages of 50 and 70 reduces the likelihood of death from a malignant tumour.
An illustration of human papilloma virus (HPV), which is vaccinated for in teenagers (Picture: Getty Images/Science Photo Libra)
1962 – The Hospital Plan for England and Wales, AKA the introduction of the modern hospital
Before the plan was introduced, patients requiring health care may have needed to attend multiple, smaller community hospitals and health centres to seek different treatments.
This plan was an ambitious programme to revamp the entire physical infrastructure of the NHS.
90 new district general hospitals were built and 134 existing hospitals were significantly revamped, bringing more treatments and services under one roof.
2008 – Vaccine to prevent cervical cancer available for all schoolgirls aged 12
The HPV vaccine has been offered to all year 8 schoolgirls since 2008 – and to boys of the same age since 2019.
The vaccine helps prevent people being infected by the human papillomavirus, which can cause cancers including cervical cancer later in life.
In 2018 a 10-year review found there had been a big decline in HPV infections, as well as a reduction in the number of young people with genital warts.
2000 – NHS walk-in centres are opened
In 2000 a pilot scheme of 40 walk-in centres in 30 towns and cities across England began.
It was hoped they would improve access to high quality health care in an efficient way, supportive of other NHS providers.
‘The NHS forms part of the fabric of our nation, and its impact on the medical history of Britain, in every area of medicine, cannot be overstated.’