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National Health Stories

On 5 July 1948, healthcare in Britain became free for all. Sally Sheard reveals the characters, innovations and heroic standoffs that have shaped the NHS.

Radio 4,24 episodes

Episodes

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Omnibus 4
The series which traces decisive moments in the history of the NHS.
14 Sep 2018,58 mins
Omnibus 3
The series that traces decisive moments in the history of the NHS.
31 Aug 2018,57 mins
Omnibus 2
The series which traces decisive moments in the history of the NHS.
24 Aug 2018,57 mins
Omnibus 1
The series which traces decisive moments in the history of the NHS.
17 Aug 2018,57 mins
Never Enough
The NHS has never had enough money. How have health ministers dealt with it?
13 Jul 2018,15 mins
Nurse!
From cleaning bedpans to treating broken bones: how nursing in the NHS has changed.
12 Jul 2018,14 mins
Too Much Medicine
Breast screening highlighted the issue of over-diagnosis and over-treatment in the NHS.
11 Jul 2018,14 mins
Policing the Bugs
When MRSA and other hospital bugs hit the headlines, the NHS had to clean up its act.
10 Jul 2018,14 mins
The New Plague
How the NHS responded to a new fatal disease, Aids, in the 1980s.
09 Jul 2018,14 mins
Protest
A baby died, wards were closed and nurses went on strike. An NHS crisis in the 1980s.
06 Jul 2018,15 mins
Unequal
How the Black Report in 1980 and others exposed inequalities in health in deprived areas.
05 Jul 2018,15 mins
Cradle
How the NHS responded to the birth of the first test tube baby in 1978.
04 Jul 2018,15 mins
Grave
How Cecily Saunders' 'modern hospice' movement forced the NHS to plan for a 'good death'.
03 Jul 2018,15 mins
Scandal
How unsung heroine Barbara Robb exposed glaring gaps in the care of the mentally ill.
02 Jul 2018,15 mins
Sexual Health Service
How the contraceptive pill forced the NHS to acknowledge women sexual health needs.
29 Jun 2018,15 mins
Modern Hospital
How the new 'modern' hospital designs changed the relationships of staff and patients.
28 Jun 2018,15 mins
Kidney Dilemma
How the life-saving 'artificial kidney' machine brought moral dilemmas in its wake.
27 Jun 2018,15 mins
Hip Innovation
How life in the new NHS gave some hospital doctors the time and freedom to innovate.
26 Jun 2018,15 mins
Cigarettes & Chimneys
How lung cancer forced the new NHS to ask: should it just treat disease or prevent it too?
25 Jun 2018,15 mins
Free Specs & Teeth
The highs and lows that followed the launch of the National Health Service on 5 July 1948.
22 Jun 2018,15 mins
Doctors Revolt
How Aneurin Bevan convinced his harshest critics, the doctors, to sign up to his NHS.
21 Jun 2018,15 mins
Remedies of War
How the Second World War helped to shape the National Health Service.
20 Jun 2018,15 mins
Pioneers
How some enterprising individuals addressed the health problems in their own communities.
19 Jun 2018,15 mins
Poor Treatment
How the nation coped before the NHS, with basic treatments and kitchen table surgery.
18 Jun 2018,15 mins