Moments of Care | NHS at 70

The National Health Service (NHS) has stood at the centre of everyday life in the UK for over 70 years.

The NHS has provided healthcare for all citizens, free at the point of access, since 5 July 1948. It has been the UK’s largest employer since the 1960s. Since 2017 NHS at 70 has worked with volunteers across the four nations of the UK to record stories from patients, staff and the public. This new public Archive of NHS history will enable everybody to discover more about the place of the NHS in all our lives, past, present and future.

Capturing and sharing ‘moments of care’, this exhibition is a taster of the diverse collection of voices you can find in our Archive. All our human experiences are reflected in the history of this unique institution.

The history of the NHS is the story of our lives in the UK since 1948.

This Digital Exhibition accompanies our 'Moments of Care' exhibition which we had planned to tour the UK through 2020. We will have more details about new dates in the future.

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Hilary Brown

Hilary Brown, a retired NHS Domestic Services manager, remembers her brother, Philip’s, treatment and care at the Christie in the 1950s.

Image of Rajan smiling, donated to accompany his interview

Rajan Madhok

Professor Rajan Madhok moved to the UK in the 1980s to complete his medical training, intending to return to India after qualifying. However, he discovered his passion for the NHS.

Stephanie Davis LeBrun seated and facing camera.

Stephanie Davis LeBrun

Born in Sheffield, in 1988, Stephanie Davis LeBrun was a trainee clinical psychologist, pursuing her doctorate with funding from the NHS, at the time of the interview.

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Joanne Harding

Joanne Harding has worked for 20 years in drug and alcohol services, and mental health.

Narrow hallway leading through dark to light.

Jeanette Holmes

Jeanette Holmes was born in Sheffield in 1942, before the NHS began.

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Joan Meredith

Born in 1925, Joan Meredith trained and worked in social work and later as a psychotherapist.

Belinda Jackson seated at work.

Belinda Jackson

Belinda Jackson was born in Rochdale in 1961 and by age 18 had started her nurse training at Birch Hill Hospital.

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Ruth Edwards

Ruth Edwards was born in 1928 and grew up in a mining family in South East Wales.

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Eulon Graham

Eulon Graham was born in Jamaica in 1937 and came to Chorley, Manchester, in the 1960s to train as a nurse.

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Hylda Whitehead

Hylda Whitehead was born in 1941 and joined the NHS as a medical secretary after taking short-hand typing and biology at night school.