IT was an important milestone for the NHS. The Glasgow Herald said it elicited “grins and groans” from doctors and the general public alike “but the overall picture must be one of satisfaction.” The question of the cost of the NHS, however, “is still one of vital importance.” Gross expenditure had risen by 70 per cent over the previous decade, and drug costs had remained fairly high despite prescribers making “genuine attempts at economy.”
These words were written on July 5, 1958, when the NHS was 10 years old. And generally, these sentiments can still be detected today as the service launched by Aneurin Bevan marks its landmark 70th birthday.
Is there a British institution that remains as well-loved as the NHS? The monarchy, perhaps, and the BBC and the armed forces, but there is a truly remarkable well-spring of undying support and affection for the health service throughout - and partly because of - its endless tribulations.
A 2013 survey found that, of all our institutions, the NHS was most popular with Britons from all backgrounds and across social classes. Seventy two per cent of people described it as “a symbol of what is great about Britain and we must do everything we can to maintain it.”
The NHS has weathered any number of crises in recent years: waiting-times, funding issues, staffing shortages, winter crises, the need to cater for an ageing and growing population. The habit of the two main UK parties of treating it as a political football is the precise reason why, according to the Bevan Commission, the serious problems facing the NHS are not being tackled.
Theresa May’s headline-generating promise of £400m extra in weekly NHS England spending within five years quickly gave way to doubts over her claim that the money would stem from a “Brexit dividend.” And Brexit itself will create further headaches for NHS managers when it comes to recruiting staff.
But it is instructive to remind ourselves not only that the NHS model of universal healthcare is catching on across the world, but also that the service has made astonishing progress in adapting technology to patients’ needs. The cutting-edge genome-mapping project in England, to take just one example. has enormous potential insofar as the personalisation of treatment is concerned. And a myriad of smart-tech applications are transforming healthcare as we know it.
Debates have long been underway as to the best method of funding the NHS. They will rage long and hard, as they must. There are many other issues relating to the way the NHS operates that will need to be addressed. But, as imperfect as it is, it is also instructive to remind ourselves that the NHS deserves our veneration and gratitude.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here