A public health new deal
A review of The Five Health Frontiers, by Christopher Thomas; Pluto Books The NHS is seen as the nearest thing to socialism in Britain (“From each according to their ability, to each according to their needs”), its “father”, Aneurin Bevan, wanting to “universalise the best”. Its universalism was soon under attack from Labour itself, with prescription charges introduced in 1951, provoking Bevan’s resignation. The one shilling charge (£0.05 = £1.30 in real terms) has now increased to £9.35.