RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 The NHS: the story so far (1948–2010)
JF Clinical Medicine
JO Clin Med
FD Royal College of Physicians
SP 336
OP 338
DO 10.7861/clinmedicine.10-4-336
VO 10
IS 4
A1 Jonathan Shapiro
YR 2010
UL http://www.rcpjournals.org/content/10/4/336.abstract
AB The NHS has long held a paradoxical position in the national psyche: a constant, reassuring presence that seems to be in a state of continual flux. This is partly because while the service is based in the public sector (with its reputation for risk aversion and change at a glacial pace), it is also exposed to the ever present currents of political pressure. Equally important is the changing nature of both medical technology and public expectation, each of which exert constant and inexorable pressures on the service. This article will briefly describe the story of the NHS from its inception in 1948 to the present day, with an emphasis on developments over the last 20 years. During this time the notion of organising healthcare has developed and formed the focus of much of the change in systems across the developed world. The narrative will highlight some of the major challenges that the NHS will face over the next few years, and introduce the series about the future of the NHS that will appear in this journal signposting some of the topics that will be followed up in these articles.