The National Health Service - Past, Present and Future

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“No society can legitimately call itself civilized if a sick person is denied medical aid because of lack of means”. So said Aneurin Bevan, the ‘fiery’, but eloquent Welsh Labour MP and Secretary of State for Health, who was instrumental in pushing for the creation of the National Health Service (NHS) in July 1948.
For over 77 years the NHS has become one of the most highly regarded institutions in the UK and has continued to strive to provide healthcare for all, free at the point of use. It was ‘born’ out of the strong desire for a fairer social contract and Welfare system in Britain to address the inequalities in health driven by the class structure, a polarised industrial society and the deprivations of the post-war years.
The NHS provides high quality ‘cradle to grave’ healthcare in both Primary and Secondary care settings, and is supported by World class research and advancements despite the huge financial and political constraints imposed upon it.
It is the largest employer in Great Britain and has often been referred to as a “National Treasure”

But not all is ‘rosy in the garden’. There are huge challenges and pressures building on the NHS. Not everyone believes it will, or even should have a future and there are increasingly louder voices advocating for a change from a Universal Healthcare system to an Insurance based one.
My talk will look at the history and founding of the NHS, it’s institutions and structures and many of the reorganisations it has lived through. I will speak about my experience of working as a Doctor in the NHS for over 35 years, at how ‘healthy’ the NHS is now and what the future may hold.
Dr Gavin Shields qualified from Birmingham Medical school in 1989 and after further training has worked as a General Practitioner exclusively in the NHS for the last 31 years. He is now Senior Partner in his practice in Coventry which provides care for 22000 patients. He has also been Vice Chair and Chair of Coventry local Medical Committee and recently finished a role as Clinical Director for a group of local practices. He has been a member of the Anglo German Medical Society since 2017 and has spoken about Healthcare on Local Radio and National TV.
He stands on the cusp of retirement and is looking forward to sharing his reflections with the “Deutsch-Britische Gesellschaft Ruhr.