“STATE TAKE OVER DOCTORS, HOSPITALS AND DENTISTS”, declared the headline of the Standard on March 21, 1946 after Health Secretary Aneurin “Nye” Bevan published his National Health Service act. Within two years, Bevan had officially opened the first NHS hospital in Manchester.
75 years later, the NHS remains Labour’s greatest achievement in office. It has survived 33 health secretaries, countless reorganisations and a global pandemic to become one of Britain’s most beloved institutions and a model for socialised healthcare the world over.
