1948 saw the introduction of a National Health Service (NHS). This was a momentous event for everyone as it brought free health care to the British population. The new NHS created both opportunities and challenges for nurses.
A Nursing Times bulletin published days before the NHS started shows nursing pay was a big issue then as now. There were concerns about the low pay of senior nurses on the new NHS regional boards (£635 to £710 annually, around £16,000 to £19,000 today) and pay for part-time nurses. There was also an appeal to help fund much needed breaks for older and ailing nurses. The new NHS was short by about 30,000 nurses and there was urgent need for service re-configuration. Improved preventive healthcare, for example, meant there were too many beds for the care of those with infectious diseases. Ironic, given the lack of such beds during the recent pandemic.
Yet, there was much optimism in the bulletin about the new service. Women and children would especially benefit. Pre-NHS some men had workers health insurance, but this excluded their families. If a man’s wife or child was sick, and there was no money for doctor’s fees, they could not get treatment without charitable help.
The Nursing Times bulletin highlights opportunities for nurses in the NHS, their essential role in frontline hospital and community services as well as in NHS management. We can also see some of the positive professional changes that have taken place since 1948. The images of nurses only feature young white women. Nursing now is much more inclusive and diverse. Today’s uniforms are practical and better suited to the job. No more hats that did not stay on and needed to be starched.
Finally, if anyone knows more about Miss Yates, the Birmingham student nurse who won first prize in a British Medical Association essay competition, the RCN History of Nursing Forum at HONF@rcn.org.uk would love to hear from you.
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