The Birth of the NHS

On 5 July 1948, the National Health Service was launched with the proud expectation that it would make the UK the "envy of the world".

Here you can follow the early years of the NHS from radical plan through to triumphant birth and on to fully fledged but sometimes problematic service.

Through programmes taken from the BBC's archives you can witness for yourself a time before the NHS existed, the disputes surrounding its inception and the difficulties it faced in the early years.