War Time Origins of the NHS

2023 marks 75 years of the National Health Service (NHS) in the UK. Often heralded as one of the greatest post-war institutions, providing free health care at the point of use, however to what extent is the NHS truly a product of the Second World War? Turns out the answer, like most things in history, is a lot more complicated. It's a story that involves both the world wars as well as the ongoing struggle between communist and capitalist ideologies that defined the Cold War.To help navigate this topic, James Patton Rogers is joined by author of Sick Note: A History of the British Welfare State and historian, Dr Gareth Millward.This episode was produced by Elena Guthrie and edited by Annie Coloe.Discover the past on History Hit with ad-free original podcasts and documentaries released weekly presented by world renowned historians like Dan Snow, Suzannah Lipscomb, Lucy Worsley, Matt Lewis, Tristan Hughes and more. Get 50% off your first 3 months with code WARFARE. Download the app on your smart TV or in the app store or sign up here.You can take part in our listener survey here.For more Warfare content, subscribe to our Warfare Wednesday newsletter here.