NHS at 72: Watch Evening Standard's birthday tribute video to the National Health Service

In its 72nd year, the NHS faces it biggest challenge: Covid-19.

The NHS turns 72 today, outliving the average life expectancy at the time of its birth.

Medical advances since then have seen average life expectancy increase by ten years, for both men and women.

When Health Secretary Aneurin Bevan unveiled the National Health Service on July 5, 1948, it was a globally-pioneering measure that made healthcare free for all citizens.

But it was not — as a letter sent to every household stressed — charity: "You are all paying for it, mainly as tax payers, and it will relieve your money worries in time of illness."

Over the 72 years since, medical milestones have transformed Britain. Women's access to professional and political spaces has been redefined by the birth control pills and abortion rights, set into motion during the Swinging Sixties.

A tugboat on the Thames near Tower Bridge in heavy smog, 1952
Fox Photos/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

In its 72nd year, the NHS faces it biggest challenge: Covid-19. This milestone is likely to bring its own transformations.

Besides a £6.6 billion cash injection and the building of seven Nightingale hospitals with thousands of beds, "the pandemic has exposed some things we could do differently," said Senior NHS Doctor Michael Gomez.

Telemedicine could become more commonplace, he suggested, with the digital distribution of health services via mobile, Zoom or Skype.

"It's also never been clearer to NHS staff that the public really are behind them," he added. Ritual clapping, rainbow art and Banksy murals have helped to heroise NHS workers— a suggestion met with embarrassment from Dr Gomez.

"No, no, no I don't feel like a hero!" he laughed. "I'm just doing my job. It's not exactly what I signed up for, I'll give you that... but that's the thing about medicine. It's always changing."

Banksy's tribute, entitled Game Changer, is now on view to staff and patients on Level C of Southampton General Hospital
PA

In the fight against coronavirus, over 300 NHS staff and care workers have lost their lives. And every member of the service has made sacrifices of their own.

For Dr Gomez, that meant isolating from his pregnant wife for the third trimester of her pregnancy. Alone, uncertain when he would see his wife and child, and working long shifts through the night, he felt like "there was no end in sight".

Now reunited with wife, Anna, and baby boy, Arlo, Dr Gomez sings praise for his NHS peers, who not only got him through dark times but delivered his child in a safe and happy environment.

NHS midwives delivered baby Arlo
Michael Gomez

To mark the anniversary of this pillar in British society, the Evening Standar has produced the above video timeline tracing 72 years of the NHS, and a tribute to the lifeblood of the service: the staff.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in