Celebrating 75 years of the NHS

5 July 2023 marks 75 years of the National Health Service.

Treating over a million people a day in England, the NHS touches all of our lives. When it was founded in 1948, the NHS was the first universal health system to be available to all, free at the point of delivery. Today, nine in 10 people agree that healthcare should be free of charge, more than four in five agree that care should be available to everyone, and that the NHS makes them most proud to be British.

Since 1948, the NHS has always evolved and adapted to meet the needs of each successive generation.

From Britain’s first kidney transplant in 1960, to Europe’s first liver transplant in 1968.

From the world’s first CT scan on a patient in 1971, revolutionising the way doctors examine the body, to the world’s first IVF test-tube baby born in 1978 (referred to in the media at the time as ‘test-tube’ baby).

Large-scale vaccination programmes protected children from whooping cough, measles and tuberculosis, and in 1999 the meningitis C vaccine was offered nationally in a world first.

The NHS has delivered huge medical advances, including the world’s first liver, heart and lung transplant in 1987, pioneering new treatments, such as bionic eyes and, in more recent times, the world’s first rapid whole genome sequencing service for seriously ill babies and children.

Robbie Moore MP said: 

"Today marks 75 years of the National Health Service.

Treating over a million people a day in England, the NHS touches all of our lives, and I want to pay tribute to the fantastic NHS staff across our community who go above and beyond every single day for patients and families.

To mark the occasion, it was fantastic to see Elise & Rochelle Featherstone at the NHS Parliamentary Awards today, who received my nomination for The NHS Rising Star Award.

Twin sisters Elise and Rochelle both pursued digital healthcare careers due to their experiences of being type 1 Diabetic and have been raising awareness about type 1 Diabetes, highlighting the benefits of new technologies like Continuous glucose monitors (CGMs)-  wearable arm gadgets that send information to a mobile app, allowing diabetes patients to keep track of their glucose levels without having to scan or take a finger prick test.

Elise and Rochelle are a shining example of all the fantastic staff within our NHS, and their work has gone a long way to show how embracing innovation is crucial to improving health services for future generations."