As the National Health Service marks its 75th anniversary, Andrew Seaton charts why it has come to occupy a unique position in British society
July 2023 marks the 75th anniversary of Britain’s National Health Service: an institution which has come to occupy a unique place in British life since its founding in 1948. Speaking to Matt Elton, Andrew Seaton re-examines the divided reaction to the birth of the public-funded healthcare system, and charts the historical currents that have seen it survive both economic and political turbulence.
Andrew Seaton is the author of Our NHS: A History of Britain’s Best Loved Institution (Yale University Press, 2023)