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WHAT HAS THE NHS ACHIEVED?
 

Why celebrate the 50th anniversary of the NHS?

There are those that argue that to make an accurate assessment of the impact of the NHS it is necessary to look at the statistics.

The following charts show some of the major health issues and trends from 1948 to the present day. Click on the graphs for larger copies.
 
 
 
 

Activities

1.

In which areas have there been improvements since 1948?
2. Are there any areas where things are worse?
3. In which areas have the greatest improvements in health occurred?
4. Is there any general pattern that you can see in those statistics?
5.

Deaths from infectious diseases have declined since 1948.

i. Can this be explained by the existence of the NHS or the discovery of new drugs?
ii. Do these statistics help you answer this question?
iii. To what extent are the main causes of death?
iv. 1994 a reflection of the fact that people are living longer?
6. Are there any areas of health care that cannot be analysed by statistics?
7. Why are these statistics important to historians?