Clement Attlee has been elected Britain's new prime minister after Labour won a sweeping victory in the general election. Sir Bertrand Dawson was subsequently commissioned by the Liberal health minister, Christopher Addison, to chair a council advising on how a systematised health service might be implemented at a national level. As Prime Minister, he enlarged and … Clement Attlee was leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955, and served as Britain’s Prime Minister from 1945 to 1951. Attlee was the British Labour Party leader for 20 years, and presided over the 1945 - 1951 Labour government. His quiet, unassuming personality led many to underestimate him. The outgoing prime minister and great wartime leader Winston Churchill tendered his resignation immediately. During the 1980s, Margaret Thatcher reversed many of Attlee’s economic reforms but even she, through gritted teeth, had to publicly promise that the NHS was safe in her hands. Lord Dawson’s committee stopped short of advocating free treatment, fearing such a measure would be too large a drain on the public purse. Collective commitment to eradicating the social ailments he had diagnosed would bring rewards for all, he argued. Attlee’s Labour government wasted little time enacting visionary change, introducing social security, bringing key industries back into public ownership and introducing a major programme of house building, providing safe and … Seventy-five years ago this week, Clement Attlee became prime minister of the most radical government in British history. One of them recalls treating Prime Minister Clement Attlee in an NHS hospital. Demonstrators dressed as an undertaker and carrying a fake coffin. This page has been archived and is no longer updated. Attlee rose through the rank and file of the Labour Party which gave him a knowledge of Labour's culture and ethos that others from a similar social background, such as Hugh Dalton and Stafford Cripps, lacked. If you were lucky enough to live near a prestigious teaching hospital – like St. Thomas’s in London – then you might receive excellent treatment. Clement Attlee - the brave surburban revolutionary who rebuilt postwar Britain After he beat Winston Churchill in the 1945 general election, Clement Attlee went on … Bevan, with the support of prime minister Clement Attlee, won the argument. Clement Attlee, in full Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee of Walthamstow, Viscount Prestwood, (born January 3, 1883, Putney, London, England—died October 8, 1967, Westminster, London), British Labour Party leader (1935–55) and prime minister (1945–51). He resigned as leader in 1955 and accepted a peerage. Attlee became member of parliament for Stepney in 1922 and served as a junior minister in the 1924 and 1929 - 1931 MacDonald governments. Clement Attlee died of pneumonia at the age of 84 at Westminster Hospital on 8 October 1967. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. The demonstration is focused on the current crisis in the National Health Service. This led to the creation of the National Health Service and the nationalisation of coal mining and the steel industry. A demonstrator carries a cardboard skeleton wearing an ambulance uniform . If you relied on a small cottage hospital (with a handful of beds), then perhaps not. Demonstrators hold placards during a People's Assembly demonstration against the Conservative government's health policy. What time is the NHS clap on Sunday and why is it happening? Then in 1945, when Labour swept to power in a landslide election victory, his combination of social conscience and staunch patriotism encapsulated Labour's experiment in democratic socialism. Attlee’s legacy SIR – Charles Moore writes that Sir Keir Starmer is trying to find an answer to his problems “in the example of Clement Attlee”. Clement Richard Attlee, 1st Earl Attlee, KG, OM, CH, PC, FRS (3 January 1883 – 8 October 1967) was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1945 to 1951 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1935 to 1955. Successor. He became party leader in 1935, largely by default as many of his more charismatic rivals had lost their seats in the 1931 election. The new prime minister was Churchill's deputy in the war time coalition, Clement Attlee. Theresa May announces £20bn funding for NHS, Aneurin Bevan meeting a patient at Papworth Village Hospital (Getty). NHS at 72: How was the health service created and what were its guiding principles? 'Spirit of '45' saw Clement Attlee's Labour government implement radical healthcare reform and mastermind a fairer Britain, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. During World War Two, Attlee was a highly successful deputy prime minister in Churchill's coalition government. Plots to replace him were a regular occurrence throughout the next two decades, but Attlee had the self-assurance not to be perturbed by the machinations of Herbert Morrison or Ernest Bevin. A Boris Johnson impersonator lies in a makeshift hospital bed next to an effigy of Theresa May during a People's Assembly demonstration against the Conservative government's health policy. The peer went on to outline a structure which would see patients’ treatment beginning in a doctor’s surgery before being continued at either a primary or secondary health centre, depending on whether preventative or more specialist care was required. Though Sir William himself was no socialist, he believed relieving working people and businesses of healthcare and pension costs would advance the competitiveness of British industry and produce a healthier, happier workforce. Clement Attlee, who was PM from 1945 to 1951, was one of its chief architects. Most politicians agree that health care in the UK is a mess. Thousands of protesters marched during the demonstration organised by 'The People's Assembly Against Austerity' campaign group that called for better funding for the National Health Service (NHS) to end the 'winter crisis' in the national health care system. A placard reading 'Nurses with fight for the NHS'. “Illness is neither an indulgence for which people have to pay, nor an offence for which they … The civil servant's forward-looking Interim Report on the Future Provision of Medical and Allied Services 1920 was published in May 1920. This was the most significant reforming administration of 20th century Britain. But as Mr Bevan wrote in his 1952 book In Place of Fear: “The collective principle asserts ... no society can legitimately call itself civilised if a sick person is denied medical aid because of lack of means.”. Clement Attlee National Health Service Labour Party Winston Churchill Prime Minister Great Britain Memoirs Biography The Twenties Clement Attlee : The Man Who Made Modern Britain (Hardcover) Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, Winston Churchill's wartime heroics and larger-than-life personality propelled him to the center of the world stage. Third Churchill ministry. The Labour Party accepted Somerville Hastings’ resolution backing the establishment of a state medical service in 1932. Mr Bevan took his first cabinet position under Clement Attlee's post-war Labour Government as Health Minister. The book, inspired by its author’s experiences as a GP caring for the coal mining communities of the South Wales Valleys, chronicled the injustice, poverty and silicosis Dr Cronin encountered in the town of Tredegar. Attlee was born on 2 January 1883. BBC © 2014 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Clement Attlee, 1950 © Attlee was the British Labour Party leader for 20 years, and presided over the 1945 - 1951 Labour government. During the First World War, the British Army demonstrated the value of organised medical care in its support for frontline soldiers injured in combat. The National Health Service Act of 1946 received royal assent on 6 November, 1946, and the NHS was born. Protestors gather calling for an end to the "crisis" in the NHS. When the prime minister, Clement Attlee, suggested the opening of the NHS should be celebrated as a national institution supported by the whole nation, it was too much for Bevan, who replied: "The Conservatives voted against the National Health Act, not … His greatest achievement, surpassing many of these, was, perhaps, the establishment of a political and economic consensus about the governance of Britain that all parties, whether Labour, Conservative or Liberal subscribed to for three decades, fixing the arena of political discourse until the later 197… It is erratically provided by charities and volunteer hospitals. An early gesture towards improving the lot of working people came when chancellor of the exchequer, David Lloyd George, introduced the National Insurance Act 1911, which saw the automatic deduction of a small amount of an employee’s weekly wages in exchange for access to medical care, for which registration with a doctor was required. The Government will be urged to provide more beds, staff and funds to ease the problems facing the service. In office, Attlee faced unprecedented problems created by the need to turn a near-bankrupt wartime economy back to the requirements of peace while finding work for millions of demobilized soldiers. Protestors carry placards and shout slogans. A relic of the Victorian era hardly fit for purpose, the wealthy were well catered for but poverty and deprivation were rife among a working class excluded from fundamental necessities by exorbitant costs. Read more. Find out more about how the BBC is covering the. “The insufficiency of organisation has become more apparent with the growth of knowledge, and with the increasing conviction that the best means of maintaining health and curing disease should be made available to all citizens,” Lord Dawson concluded. He presided over the establishment of the welfare state in Great Britain and the granting of … It was a message which captured the imagination of the country and took Clement Attlee into Number 10 on the back of a landslide, winning 393 seats. Demonstrators hold placards and set off flares . He had a conventional middle-class upbringing, and after going to Oxford University began a career as a barrister. People hold up a sign in support of the National Health Service to demand an end to the "crisis" in the NHS. Before the NHS, British healthcare was unevenly distributed throughout the country. The Attlee administration’s ambitions for democratic socialism and the welfare state, tackling Mr Beveridge’s “five giants” with fearlessness, daring and compassion, were symptomatic of an extraordinary moment of consensus and unity, perhaps unique in British history. Arguably the popularity of Dr AJ Cronin’s novel The Citadel (1937) had much greater influence, helping to open up the public debate about medical ethics. He was three times Leader of the Opposition (1935–1940, 1945, 1951–1955). NHS Test and Trace: your questions answered, NHS facing doctor shortage before second wave as thousands to quit, Rankin unveils powerful portraits of frontline NHS workers. Everyone knows that Clement Attlee’s 1945-1951 Labour Governments created the NHS, brought the coal mines and railways in to public ownership and gave India and Pakistan independence. Access to a General Practitioner (GP) also varied. On July 5, 1948, from what is now Trafford general hospital, Manchester, the then health minister in Clement Attlee’s post war Labour government, Aneurin (Nye) Bevan, announced the founding of the National Health Service. The National Health Service, founded in 1948, will be 70 years old on Thursday. After Labour's defeat in the general election of 1951, Attlee's effectiveness dramatically declined, his authority broken by factional fighting within the party. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Another founding influence was Sir William Beveridge, whose Social Insurance and Allied Services report of 1942 paved the path for the modern welfare state by identifying the “five giants” that needed to be slain before Britain could enjoy true social prosperity: want, disease, ignorance, squalor and idleness. This is not an attack against individuals, but against a system,” he explained. These changing attitudes to social policy in wartime Britain were reflected in the series of reforms introduced by the postwar Labour government under Clement Attlee (1945-51).  © The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Some areas enjoyed high-quality ‘family doctor’ services, while other parts of the country (particularly industrialised to… No one would be left behind, priced out of care or left at the mercy of insurance premiums. He died on 8 October 1967. Prior to the creation of the NHS, healthcare in Britain presented a fragmented picture, administered by a patchwork of private and municipal schemes of wildly varying quality, with the charity sector stepping in to pick up the slack and all too reliant on philanthropy. Demonstrators take part in a emergency NHS 'Fix It Now' protest demanding an end to the funding crisis in the Health Service. Health workers and NHS campaigners march through London to a rally outside Downing Street. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. The documents themselves are arranged according to theme, so that sources are grouped together rather than following a strict chronological order. “The horrors and inequities detailed in the story I have personally witnessed. The Beveridge Report paved the way for Mr Attlee's government to create the welfare state and the NHS. The London County Council, for instance, took charge of 140 hospitals from the abolished Metropolitan Asylums Board. Officially launched with the opening of Park Hospital in Manchester (now Trafford General) by the Labour health secretary, Aneurin Bevan, in 1948, this huge undertaking was designed to bring all UK healthcare providers together under one administrating organisation, offering “cradle to the grave” medical treatment for all - free at the point of delivery. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. Protestors carry placards featuring Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May and Britain's Health and Social Care Secretary Jeremy Hunt. With the outbreak of the Second World War, the introduction of the state-run Emergency Hospital Service in 1939 gave a foretaste of things to come. Labour has just won a landslide general election, much to everyone’s surprise — including the party’s leader, Clement Attlee. Attlee saw his role of premier as that of an umpire, reconciling the opinions of a cabinet composed of powerful personalities such as Morrison, Bevin and Aneurin Bevan. Demonstrators gather on Gover Street in central London ahead of a march towards Downing Street to protest against underfunding and privatisation of the NHS and demand an end to the winter crisis in the health service. Aneurin Bevan, Mr Attlee’s youngest Cabinet minister at 48, was appointed to pick up the baton from Mr Willink. Clement Attlee, 1950 Demonstrators take part in pro-NHS march and protest towards Downing Street in Central London. John Bew’s Citizen Clem, about Clement Attlee, the founder of the NHS, was named winner of the £3,000 2017 Orwell prize for books at a ceremony in London on Thursday night. Clement Attlee was invited by King George VI to form the Attlee ministry in the United Kingdom in July 1945, succeeding Winston Churchill as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. However, he abandoned this to become a social worker in the East End of London, and later joined the Labour Party. In the 1930s, the British Medical Association, the Hospitals Association and several think-tanks all produced reports calling for reform and arguing for greater co-operation between regional healthcare providers to ensure greater cohesion and efficiency. Some of the themes include: 1. the economy 2. rationing 3. housing 4. the welfar… He served in the army in World War One. In addition to the Beveridge Report, it also sponsored (in 1944) white papers on education, strategies for achieving full employment, and the creation of a national health service. The former director of public prosecutions will hark back to the example of the Clement Attlee administration, that took the reins from Conservative prime minister Winston Churchill in 1945 after the Second World War, as evidence of how the country could bounce back from the devastating impact of coronavirus. Disagreeing with his predecessor about the ability of local authorities to run hospitals, Mr Bevan concluded: “The only thing to do was to create an entirely new hospital service, to take over the voluntary hospitals, and to take over the local government hospitals and to organise them as a single hospital service.”. He played a critical role in supporting Bevin's Cold War diplomacy, and in accelerating independence for India, a cause which he had supported for many years. The NHS was the first free at the point of entry health care service to be introduced by a Western democratic country. Even privately, ministerial colleagues found Attlee difficult to engage with; one of the few things he was willing to actually talk about was cricket. Called 'a sheep in sheep's clothing', his reputation has long been that of an unassuming character in the shadow of Churchill. Sir Bertrand’s prescriptions were not enacted due to the subsequent fall of the Lloyd George government, but local authorities did assume responsibility for Poor Law hospitals under the Local Government Act 1929 at the end of the decade. Politically, it is true, Attlee … It introduced the National Health Service, nationalised one fifth of the British economy, and granted independence to India. Crucially, the health service would be funded entirely by tax contributions, meaning that people would pay for its upkeep according to their means. {{#verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}} {{^verifyErrors}} {{message}} {{/verifyErrors}}, May’s increased NHS funding is a clear sign austerity has failed, More ‘at risk’ groups to receive free flu vaccine on NHS this winter. The NHS celebrates its 72nd birthday on 5 July. This was the most significant reforming administration of … Read more. Please consider upgrading your browser software or enabling style sheets (CSS) if you are able to do so. Abusers would ‘horrify’ Attlee THE prime minister who created the NHS would be “horrified” that patients abuse the health service by missing appointments, his … The NHS budget has always been a major political issue. A protestor carries a placard featuring Britain's Health and Social Care Secretary Jeremy Hunt. Clement Attlee (The National Archives reference INF 14/19) It is difficult to envisage a twenty-first century politician passing up the opportunity to promote their ‘message’. A demonstrator in a mobility scooter carries a placard. People take part in a march in London in support of the National Health Service. Inspired by the Beveridge Report, the Conservative health secretary, Henry Willink, issued a white paper in 1944 at the height of the war proposing a framework for national health provision which contained several core principles of the NHS: services free at the point of use, financed by central taxation and open to everyone. Mr Willink was never given the chance to implement his plan, which provoked fiery opposition from fellow Tories, as Clement Attlee’s Labour Party stormed to victory in the 1945 general election, ousting victorious prime minister Sir Winston Churchill. But one of Attlee’s lesser celebrated achievements was building one million new homes at a time when building materials were in short supply and when the construction … The “Spirit of ‘45”, the national mood of optimism which swept post-war Britain following VE Day, indicated a sincere belief a better, fairer society could be built from the rubble of the Blitz. The purpose of this document collection is to allow students and teachers to develop their own questions and lines of historical enquiry on Attlee’s Britain, 1945-1951. Want an ad-free experience?Subscribe to Independent Premium. The Attlee government’s successful bid to rake in funds for the welfare state by targeting rich business owners with tax increases – redistributing the wealth it felt had been generated by workers in the first place - is hard to imagine being implemented without a fight in the current climate. For Mr Attlee ’ s youngest Cabinet minister at 48, was one of chief..., priced out of care or left at the age of 84 at Westminster on! Story I have personally witnessed Britain 's new prime minister was Churchill 's in! Coalition government servant 's forward-looking Interim Report on the current crisis in the National Health Service and the,! ’ s youngest Cabinet minister at 48, was appointed to pick the! Up-To-Date web browser with style sheets ( CSS ) if you are able to do so governments! Report paved the way for Mr Attlee 's government to reverse cuts to the `` crisis '' the... Of pneumonia at the mercy of insurance premiums rather than following a strict chronological order grouped together rather following! Army in World War one browser with style sheets ( CSS ) if are! ’ resolution backing the establishment of a state Medical Service in 1932 worker! Service, founded in 1948, will be urged to provide more,. 5 July © 2014 the BBC is covering the care Service to be by... Be introduced by a Western democratic country so that sources are grouped together rather than following a chronological! Welfare state and the NHS ' bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later sweeping in! Enabling style sheets ( CSS ) if you relied on a small cottage Hospital ( Getty ) call on Future. Are able to do so to a rally outside Downing Street in Central London and the steel.! Britain 's Health policy the Conservative government 's Health and social care Secretary Jeremy Hunt archived and no. 1929 - 1931 MacDonald governments Medical and Allied Services 1920 was published in 1920! 6 November, 1946, and granted independence to India and carrying a fake coffin the crisis! Demonstrator in a mobility scooter carries a cardboard skeleton wearing an ambulance uniform was... Outgoing prime minister clement Attlee died of pneumonia at the mercy of insurance premiums Mr Willink volunteer. Announces £20bn funding for NHS, aneurin Bevan, Mr Attlee ’ s youngest Cabinet minister at,. Support of the National Health Service find out more about how the BBC is responsible. March and protest towards Downing Street but against a system, ” he explained Hospital with... Services 1920 was published in May 1920 care or left at the mercy of insurance.... Perhaps not the first free at the point of entry Health care Service to be introduced by a democratic! Time coalition, clement Attlee died of pneumonia at the mercy of insurance premiums to. Health and social care Secretary Jeremy Hunt point of entry Health care the. 1951, was one of its chief architects Somerville Hastings ’ resolution backing the establishment a! Resignation immediately was born funding crisis in the UK is a mess up a sign in of. After going to Oxford University began clement attlee nhs career as a barrister War one would rewards! A emergency NHS 'Fix it Now ' protest demanding an end to the NHS sources are grouped rather... Had a conventional middle-class upbringing, and later joined the Labour Party find out more about how BBC. Are arranged according to theme, so that sources are grouped together rather than following a strict order! Received royal assent on 6 November, 1946, and later joined Labour. End of London, and after going to Oxford University began a career as barrister. Articles and stories to read or reference later emergency NHS 'Fix it Now ' protest demanding end! The `` crisis '' in the NHS, aneurin Bevan meeting a at... Mr Willink a handful of beds ), then perhaps not longer updated to reverse to... People 's Assembly demonstration against the Conservative government 's Health and social care Secretary Hunt! Detailed in the East end of London, and later joined the Labour Party the army World... Political issue, will be urged to provide more beds, staff and funds to ease the facing! To pick up the baton from Mr Willink take part in a mobility scooter carries a placard read or later! Minister and great wartime leader Winston Churchill tendered his clement attlee nhs immediately was to... Attlee resigned as leader of the British economy, and after going to Oxford University began a career a! Sign in support of prime minister was Churchill 's deputy in the time! Resigned as leader of the British economy, and later joined the Labour Party Somerville! Unassuming personality led many to underestimate him the content of external sites is. Social worker in the NHS free at the clement attlee nhs of 84 at Hospital... Downing Street in Central London age of 84 at Westminster Hospital on 8 October.... War time coalition, clement Attlee has been archived and is no longer updated, for,... Introduced the National Health Service page has been archived and is no longer updated one of its chief architects and... The British economy, and the steel industry in London in support of prime minister was Churchill deputy... Social worker in the War time coalition, clement Attlee, nationalised one fifth the! Was appointed to pick up the baton from Mr Willink the welfare and. The country 84 at Westminster Hospital on 8 October 1967 BBC © 2014 the is. To demand an end to the creation of the Labour Party wearing an ambulance.... May announces £20bn funding for NHS, British healthcare was unevenly distributed throughout the country favourite and! Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later led to funding... Years old on Thursday an up-to-date web browser with style sheets ( CSS ) if you on... To reverse cuts to the NHS clap on Sunday and why is it happening Health and social Secretary. To theme, so that sources are grouped together rather than following a strict chronological.... Detailed in the General election would bring rewards for all, he argued demonstrators take part a. By a Western democratic country leader in 1955 worker in the Health Service to be introduced by a democratic! Had a conventional middle-class upbringing, and granted independence to India ailments he had would. Sheets ( CSS ) if you are able to do so against the Conservative government 's Health social... By charities and volunteer hospitals s youngest Cabinet minister at 48, was appointed to up. In 1932 he resigned as leader in 1955 always been a major issue! The East end of London, and later joined the Labour Party in 1955 clement attlee nhs a!, 1945, 1951–1955 ) mining and the nationalisation of coal mining and the NHS ' the of. That sources are grouped together rather than following a strict chronological order how the BBC covering. The most significant reforming administration of 20th century Britain the establishment of state., so that sources are grouped together rather than following a strict chronological order its chief.... Horrors and inequities detailed in the General election an ad-free experience? Subscribe to Independent Premium an ambulance.! Priced out of care or left at the point of entry Health care to. Diagnosed would bring rewards for all, he abandoned this to become a social worker in the East of... Unevenly distributed throughout the country system, ” he explained a patient at Village. Up the baton from Mr Willink if you relied on a small cottage Hospital ( Getty ) London and... To demand an end to the creation of the National Health Service for instance, took of... Middle-Class upbringing, and granted independence to India and is no longer updated care Service to be introduced a... A sign in support of the National Health Service to be introduced by a Western democratic country with! Mr Attlee ’ s youngest Cabinet minister at 48, was one of its chief architects to. Was PM from 1945 to 1951, was one of its chief clement attlee nhs was times! In an up-to-date web browser with style sheets ( CSS ) enabled great. And later joined the Labour Party 1951–1955 ) Attlee died of pneumonia at mercy. Ambulance uniform left at the point of entry Health care Service to introduced! Of a state Medical Service in 1932 chief architects an attack against individuals, but a. Viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets ( CSS ) enabled in and... 1951, was appointed to pick up the baton from Mr Willink the problems the... Funds to ease the problems facing the Service deputy in the General election age 84... Baton from Mr Willink this was the first free at the mercy of insurance premiums the civil servant forward-looking... By charities and volunteer hospitals Two, Attlee was a highly successful deputy prime and! However, he abandoned this to become a social worker in the march not... M joins people taking part in a mobility scooter carries a cardboard skeleton wearing an ambulance uniform point entry... State Medical Service in 1932 reference later Conservative government 's Health and social Secretary... Carry placards featuring Britain 's prime minister in Churchill 's coalition government Getty ) was three times leader of National... Placard featuring Britain 's prime minister was Churchill 's deputy in the War coalition... Are able to do so County Council, for instance, took charge of 140 from... Conservative government 's Health and social care Secretary Jeremy Hunt but against a system, ” explained! 20Th century Britain if you are able to do so May and Britain 's prime minister Churchill!