The National Health Service (NHS) was established in 1948 to provide healthcare based on need, not ability to pay for healthcare.
It's the largest employer in Europe with more than 1.35 million people working for the NHS in England.
Staff across the NHS are in contact with more than 1.5 million patients and their families every day.
Each month, 23 million people visit their GP surgery or practice nurse.
In its 65 year history, the NHS has made extraordinary progress in treating all sorts of disease and keeping people well. Below is just a snapshot of important milestones.
- the structure of DNA was discovered in 1953
- smoking was linked to cancer for the first time in 1954
- 1958 saw the first big vaccination programme launched
- in 1961 the first contraceptive pill was made available
- the first successful UK kidney transplant took place in 1960 and first heart transplant in 1968
- in 1978 the first test tube baby was born
- the first keyhole surgery was performed (to remove a gallbladder) in 1980
- HIV testing was introduced for the first time in 1986
- 1988 saw the launch of national breast screening
- a smoking ban was introduced in England in 2007.
No comments:
Post a Comment