History of NHS timeline

History of NHS timeline

This article is a year-by-year timeline of the history of the NHS.

The 1940s

1945 Labour Government (Clement Attlee MP)

1946 (July). Government. National Health Service Act 1946.

1947. Government. National Health Service (Scotland) Act 1947.

1948. (5th July). Creation of the NHS.

1949. Education (nursing). Nurses Act 1949.
1949. Government. National Health Service (Amendment) Act 1949.
1949. Public Health. First tuberculosis vaccine routinely offered to nurses.

The NHS was born into an unstable and vulnerable world

The 1950s

1950. Education (medical). Medical Act 1950.
1950. Research. First UK report linking smoking to lung cancer.
1950. Management. Bradbeer Report (reported in 1954).

1951 Conservative Government (Winston Churchill MP/Sir Anthony Eden MP)

1952. Government. Charges for prescriptions, dental care and glasses introduced.
1952. Education (medical). Royal College of General Practice.
1952. Clinical. Birth of intensive care concept.

1953 Monarch. Queen Elizabeth II (1952 – 2022)

1953. Research. Structure of Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA) discovered.

1954. Mental Health. Royal Commission on the Law Relating to Mental Illness and Mental Deficiency (Percy Commission, reported in 1957).

1955 Conservative Government (Sir Anthony Eden MP/Harold Macmillan MP)

1953. Clinical. UK’s first kidney transplant.

1956. Public Health.Clean Air Act 1956.
1956. Management. NHS Graduate Management Training Scheme.
1956. Government. Guillebaud Report.

1957. Clinical. First prescription combined oral contraceptive pill.
1957. Technology. Ultrasound (Glasgow).
1957. Research. Interferon discovered.

1958. Public Health. First mass vaccination programme (polio and diphtheria).

1959 Conservative Government (Harold Macmillan MP/Sir Alec Douglas-Home MP)

1959. Clinical. First general ICUs in UK.
1959. Mental Health. Mental Health Act 1959.

By the start of the 1960s, there was hope for a calmer, more peaceful and prosperous world.
The human race was starting to recover from the mass slaughter (and genocide) of two world wars

The 1960s

1961. Research. Dangers of thalidomide discovered.

1962. Public Health. Oral contraceptive pill becomes available to married women.
1962. Hospitals. Hospital Plan for England and Wales – birth of modern hospital.
1962. Management. Medical Services Review Committee’s final report (Porritt Report).
1962. Clinical. First Hip Replacement – John Charnley.

1964. Public Health. Artificial Fluoridation of Water Supply.
1964. Clinical. First coronary care unit (CCU) in UK (Edinburgh)

1964 Labour Government (Harold Wilson MP)

1965. Social Care. Committee on Local Authority and Allied Social Services’ (Seebohm) Report.

1967. Public Health. NHS Family Planning 1967 and Abortion Act 1967.
1967. Public Health. Seat Belts – new cars in front.
1967. Research. Whitehall Studies.
1967. Management. Salmon Report.
1967. Management. Joint Working Party on the Organisation of Medical Work, First (Cogwheel) Report.

1968. Public Health. (Second) Clean Air Act 1968.
1968. Government. Department of Health and Social Security (DHSS).
1968. Social Care. Health Services and Public Health Act 1968.
1968. Clinical. First liver transplant in UK.
1968. Clinical. First heart transplant in UK.
1968. Clinical. British woman gives birth to sextuplets after fertility treatment.
1968-70. Management. Two green papers on structural reform of the NHS.
1968-72. Pandemic. Hong Kong Flu.

1969. Management. Bonham-Carter Report.
1969. Government. Responsibility for NHS in Wales passed to Secretary of State for Wales.

Many of the NHS changes in the late 1960s and 70s reflected the social change of time, e.g. oral contraception, and the Abortion Act.
These were part of the changing roles of men and women in post-war society

The 1970s

1970 Conservative Government (Edward Heath MP)

1970. Social Care. Local Authority Social Services Act 1970.

1971. Government. ‘Better services for the Mentally Handicapped‘ white paper.
1971. Social Care. Attendance Allowance.
1971. Technology. First Computerised Tomography (CT) scan in UK.

1972. Education (medical). Royal College of General Practitioners given royal charter.
1972. Public Health. Faculty of Public Health.
1972. Regulation (nursing). Report of the Briggs Committee on Nursing.
1972. Government. ‘National Health Service reorganisation white paper.
1972. Research. Apoptosis discovered. University of Aberdeen.

1973. Clinical. First successful bone marrow transplant in child in UK.

1974 Labour Government (Harold Wilson MP/James Callaghan MP)

1974. Government. Major NHS Reorganisation. NHS Reorganisation Act 1973.
1974. Government. NHS Reorganisation in Northern Ireland.
1974. Union. British Medical Association (BMA) – became recognised trade union for doctors.
1974. Clinical. Glasgow Coma Scale.

1975. Public Health. Resource Allocation Working Party (RAWP).
1975. Social Care. Social Security Act 1975.
1975. Government. Margaret Thatcher’s choice agenda.
1975. Research. Endorphins are discovered.
1975-77. Government. Secretary of State, Barbara Castle MP (Labour government) tried to abolish private (‘pay’) beds within NHS.

1976. Epidemic. First outbreak of Ebolavirus in Zaire.
1976. Education (medical). National Health Service (Vocational Training) Act 1976.
1976. Social Care. Integration of Health and Local Authorities – Joint Finance Programme.

1977-9. Pandemic. Russian Flu.

1978. Clinical. Born on 25th July, Louise Brown became the first child to be conceived by In Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) – the world’s first test tube baby.
1978. Research. Last case of smallpox in world.
1978. Technology. First magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in UK (Nottingham) and world. First used clinically at University of Aberdeen in 1980.

1979 Conservative Government (Margaret Thatcher MP)

1979. Regulation and Education (nursing). Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Act 1979.
1979. Government. Encouragement of the privatisation of ancillary services.

In 1980 the Black Report confirmed inequalities according to socio-economic status.
The Griffiths Report and ‘Working for Patients’ white paper heralded the Internal Market in 1990s

The 1980s

1980. Public Health. Black Report.
1980. Public Health. WHO announces the eradication of smallpox.

1981. Pandemic. HIV/AIDS. First AIDs cases reported in USA.

1982. Management. NHS Reorganisation (Minor). Health Services Act 1980.
1982. Government. Private Finance Initiative.
1982. Clinical. First successful artificial heart implant in world.

1983 Conservative Government (Margaret Thatcher MP)

1983. Public Health. Seat belt compulsory in UK.
1983. Mental Health. (Second) Mental Health Act 1983.
1983. Management. Griffiths Report.
1983. Regulation (medical). Medical Act 1983.
1983. Regulation (nursing). United Kingdom Central Council (UKCC) for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting.

1986. Epidemic. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE; ‘Mad Cow Disease’) affected cows in UK.
1986. Public Health. First UK AIDS public health campaign: ‘AIDS: Don’t Die of Ignorance’.
1986. Clinical. Cardiac Thrombolysis. Routine use clinically in 1988.

1987 Conservative Government (Margaret Thatcher MP/John Major MP)

1987. Government. ‘Promoting Better Health’ government white paper.
1987. Clinical. SSRI antidepressant fluoxetine (marketed as Prozac).
1987. Clinical. First liver, heart and lung transplant in UK (Papworth Hospital) and world.

1988. Public Health. Breast and Cervical Cancer Screening.

1989. Government. ‘Working for Patients’ government white paper.
1989. Clinical. First laparoscopic cholecystectomy in UK (Dundee).

The ‘Internal Market’ (introducing ‘purchasers’ and ‘providers’) started to happen in the early 90s, and was a key turning point for the NHS.
The development of NHS performance markers (‘targets’) was linked to it

The 1990s

1990. Management. NHS Reorganisation (Major). NHS and Community Care Act 1990.
1990. Regulation. Human Fertility and Embryology Act 1990.
1990. Management. GP Contract Changes.
1990. Public Health. Food Safety Act 1990.

1991. Management. First NHS Trusts.
1991. Employment (medical, junior doctors). Junior doctors hours – limited to 83 hours a week.
1991-2. Government. Health of the Nation (HoN) White Paper and Patient’s Charter.

1992 Conservative Government (John Major MP)

1992. Research. UK Cochrane Collaboration.
1992. Management. Tomlinson Review.

1993. Employment (medical, registrars). Calman Report.
1993. Public Health. Clean Air Act 1993.
1993. Clinical. Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) / stents.

1994. Public Health. Organ Donor Register.
1994. Clinical. First nurse-led Minor Injuries Unit.

1995. Research. Stroke Thrombolysis.
1995. Management. NHS Reorganisation (Major). Health Authorities Act 1995.

1996. Epidemic. Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE; ‘Mad Cow Disease’).
1996. Social Care. Community Care (Direct Payments) Act 1996.

1997 Labour Government (Tony Blair MP)

1997. Management. NHS (Primary Care Act) 1997.
1997. Public Health. First Minister of Public Health.
1997. Government.‘The New NHS: Modern, Dependable’ government white paper.
1997. Epidemic. Avian Flu outbreak.

1998. Employment (medical, junior doctors). Working time regulations.
1998. Public Health. Sure Start programme.
1998. Public Health. Independent Inquiry into Inequalities in Health Report (Acheson Report).
1998. Information Technology. NHS Direct (forerunner of NHS111).

1999. Public Health. ‘Saving Lives: Our Healthier Nation’ white paper
1999. Public Health. National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE).
1999. Management. NHS Reorganisation (Minor). Health Act 1999.
1999. Management. NHS Performance Assessment Framework.
1999. Information Technology. NHS Information Authority (NHSIA) (Establishment and Constitution) Order 1999.
1999. Public Health. Food Standards Agency Act 1999.
1999. Management. National Service Frameworks (NSFs).

In the 2000s, the NHS Plan further developed the Internal Market and formalised targets.
3 major scandals (Bristol, Shipman and Alder Hey)

The 2000s

2000. Management. The NHS Plan: A plan for investment. A plan for reform.
2000. Management. 10-year NHS Cancer Plan and Two-Week Cancer Target.
2000. Clinical. NHS ‘Walk-in Centres’.
2000. Public Health. Health Development Agency (HDA).
2000. Information Technology. Dr Foster, Imperial College (London).
2000. Public Health. BSE outbreak: inquiry report.
2000. Scandal. Shipman Inquiry.

2001 Labour Government (Tony Blair MP)

2001. Management. NHS Reorganisation (Major). Health and Social Care Act 2001.
2001. Public Health. Health Select Committee Report on Public Health.
2001. Public Health. Food Standards Agency (FSA).
2001. Regulation (nursing). Nursing and Midwifery Order 2001.
2001. Scandal. Bristol Inquiry.
2001. Management. National service framework for older people.
2001. Management. Performance rating for acute trusts.
2001. Government. ‘Shifting the balance of power within the NHS‘ white paper.

2002. Management. NHS Reorganisation (Minor).
2002. Epidemic. Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV) outbreak.

2002. Clinical. First successful gene therapy.

2002. Public Health. ‘Getting ahead of the curve – A strategy for combating infectious diseases’ strategy.
2002. Management. Foundation Trust system.
2002. Management. ‘Delivering the NHS Plan: next steps on investment, next steps on reform‘.
2002. Regulation. National Health Service Reform and Health Care Professions Act 2002.

2003. Public Health. Health Protection Agency (HPA).
2003. Public Health. Community Health Councils (CHCs) abolished.
2003. Regulation. Medicines and Healthcare Products Agency (MHRA).
2003. Public Health. ‘5-a-day’ Campaign.
2003. Public Health. Focus on Homelessness: Rough Sleepers Unit target 2002.
2003. Management/Integration. Community Care (Delayed Discharges) Act 2003.
2003. Education. Physician Associates started.
2003. Management. Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003.
2003. Public Health. Congestion Charge, London.

2004. Management. First Foundation Trusts (10).
2004. Management. Four-Hour A&E Target.

2004. Management. 18 Week Referral to Treatment (RTT) Target.
2004. Inspection. The Healthcare Commission.
2004. Management. Quality and Outcomes Framework (QoF).
2004. Clinical. First daily Acute Medical (Outpatient) Clinic (AMC) in UK (in Coventry). Forerunner of SDEC.
2004. Scandal. Alder Hey, leading to Human Tissue Act 2004.
2004. Public Health. Health Protection Agency (HPA).
2004. Information Technology. ‘Choose and Book’ software.
2004. Employment. NHS Employers.
2004. Employment. ‘Agenda for Change‘ (AfC).
2004. Management/Infection Control. MRSA infection reduction targets.

2005 Labour Government (Tony Blair MP/Gordon Brown MP)

2005. Management. Three of four Standing Advisory Committees abolished.
2005. Information Technology. Health and Social Care Information Centre (HSCIC).
2005. Regulation. NHS Blood and Transplant.
2005. Mental Health/Capacity. Mental Capacity Act 2005.
2005. Public Health. ‘Scores on the Doors’ Food Hygiene Ratings.

2006. Management. ‘Patient Choice’.
2006. Management. NHS Reorganisation (Minor).
2006. Public Health. Bowel Cancer Screening Programme (BCSP).
2006. Public Health. NHS Health Act 2006.
2006. Management/Specialised Services. Carter Review.
2006. Public Health. Smoking ban. Scotland.

2007. Public Health. Junk food advertising banned during children’s TV programmes.
2007. Public Health/Management. ‘A Framework for Action‘.
2007. Information Technology. ‘NHS Choices’ health information website.
2007. Public Health. Smoking bans. England (July), Wales and Northern Ireland (April).

2008. Public Health. Abdominal aortic screening.
2008. Mental Health. Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme.
2008. Management. ‘High-Quality Care for All: the NHS Next Stage‘ (Darzi) Review.
2008. Public Health. Human Papillomavirus HPV Vaccination for girls aged 12-13 years.
2008. Inspection. Care Quality Commission (CQC), Health and Social Care Act 2008.
2008. Management. ‘Any willing provider’ commissioning.

2009. Pandemic. Swine Flu.
2009. Management. Mixed-sex hospital accommodation ended.
2009. Management. NHS Constitution.
2009. Public Health. Stroke Act F.A.S.T. (‘Face, Arm, Speech, Time’) campaign.
2009. Public Health. NHS Health Checks.
2009. Public Health. ‘Change4life’ campaign.
2009. Management. Quality, Innovation, Productivity and Prevention (QIPP) programme.
2009. Management. Cooperation and Competition Panel (CCP).

In the 2010s, the Health and Social Care Act 2012 (Lansley Reforms) increased competition.
But 5 and 10 year NHS Plans (2014, 2019) encouraged collaboration over competition

The 2010s

2010 Conservative Government (coalition with Liberal Democrats) (David Cameron MP)

2010. Government. ‘Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS’ white paper.
2010. Scandal. Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust.
2010. Scandal. GMC ruling on Dr Andrew Wakefield in MMR scare.

2011. Government. Health and Social Care Bill 2011.
2011. Social Care. Dilnot Report. The Commission for Funding of Care and Support.
2011. Scandal. Winterbourne View.
2011 (April-June 2011). Government. NHS Modernisation: Listening Exercise and NHS Future Forum.
2011. Management. NHS Reorganisation (Minor).
2011. Scandal. PIP Breast Implants.
2011-2. Education/Research/Management. Three new arms lengths bodies: Health Education England (HEE), Health Research Authority (HRA) and NHS Trust Development Agency (TDA).

2012. Epidemic. Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV).
2012. Sport. Grand Opening Ceremony of London 2012 Olympic Games included a homage to the NHS.
2012. Public Health. 100,000 Genomes Project.
2012. Management. NHS Commissioning Board (later NHS England).
2012. Management. Personal Health Budgets (PHBs).
2012. Regulation (medical). Revalidation for doctors.
2012. Clinical. First person in the UK to have a hand transplant.

2013. Management. NHS Reorganisation (Major). Health and Social Care Act 2012.
2013. Public Health. Public Health England (PHE).
2013. Management. NHS Services, Seven Days a Week Forum.
2013. Regulation/Scandal. Francis Report on Mid-Staffs scandal.
2013. Management. Friends and Family Test.
2013-4. Management/Integration. Better Care Fund (BCF).
2013-6. Public Health. Public Health Outcomes Framework for England.

2014. Public Health. Health Select Committee’s Report on Public Health England.
2014. Management. ‘Five Year Forward View’,
2014. Management. Dementia Identification Scheme.
2014. Mental Health. ‘Achieving Better Access to Mental Health Services by 2020’.
2014-6. Epidemic. Western African Ebola Virus Epidemic.

2015 Conservative Government (David Cameron MP/Theresa May MP)

2015. Management. ‘Devo Manc’.
2015. Mental Health. Mental Health Targets.
2015. Education/Union. Junior doctors’ strike.
2015. Management. Hinchingbrooke Hospital (withdrawal of independent provider).
2015. Management. New Care Models Programme and vanguard sites.
2015. Open Culture. ‘Freedom to speak up’ review.

2016. Management. NHS Improvement (NHSI) formed by merger of Monitor and TDA.
2016. Public Health. Soft Drinks Industry Levy (SDIL).
2016. Public Health. UK Tobacco and Related Products Regulations.
2016. Public Health. Faecal immunochemical test (FIT) for bowel cancer detection.
2016. Management/Integration. Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs).

2017 Conservative Government (confidence and supply) (Theresa May MP/Boris Johnson MP)

2017. Public Health. PrEP (HIV pre-exposure Prophylaxis).
2017. Education (medical). Certificate of Eligibility for Specialist Registration (CESR) or Certificate of Eligibility for GP Registration (CEGPR).

2018. Management. Department of Health and Social Care.
2018. Public Health. Fixed-odds Betting Terminals stake limit reduced to £2.
2018. Public Health. Minimum Unit Pricing on alcohol introduced in Scotland.
2018. Public Health. ‘Opt-out’ Organ Donation.
2018. Regulation. Dr Bawa-Garba case.

2019 Conservative Government (Boris Johnson MP/Liz Truss MP/Rishi Sunak MP)

2019. Management. NHS 10 Year Long Term Plan (LTP).
2019. Information Technology. NHSX.
2019. Information Technology. NHS App.
2019. Management. NHS Reorganisation (Minor). Four NHSE regions split into seven.
2019. Management. NHS Reorganisation (Minor). NHS England and NHS Improvement begin to merge.

2020s so far dominated by COVID-19 Pandemic

The 2020s

2020. Public Health. Abortion (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2020.
2020. Pandemic. COVID-19. A new strain of coronavirus, SARS-Cov-2, identified in Wuhan, Hubei province, China, in late December 2019.
2020. Public Health. Public Health England (PHE) to be dissolved.

2021. Public Health. UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) forms.
2021. Public Health. Office for Health Improvement and Disparities (OHID) forms. Replaces PHE in England.
2021. Management. NHS Improvement, Health Education England (HEE), NHS Digital and NHSX to be incorporated into NHS England.

2022 Death of Queen Elizabeth II

2022. Management/Integration. NHS Reorganisation (Major). Health and Care Act 2022.
2022. Management. NHS Improvement merged into NHS England.

2023 Coronation of King Charles III 

2023. Management. NHS Digital and Health Education England (HEE) merged into NHS England.
2023. Education/Union. Junior doctors’ strike.
2023. Education/Union. Senior doctors (hospital consultants) strike.

Other resources

This is a longer history of the NHS from the Nuffield Trust.
This is a timeline for the history of the NHS in Scotland.
This is a timeline for the history of the NHS in Wales.
This is a historical timeline for medicine and medical technology from 3300 BC.
Healthcare is devolved to the 3 nations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland in the UK.