Aneurin Bevan and the NHS

Study note

The National Health Service, or NHS, was created in 1948 to provide healthcare for everyone in Britain. The minister most closely associated with founding it was Aneurin Bevan, often known as Nye Bevan, who was the Minister for Health in the post-war Labour government led by Clement Attlee.

Bevan is the figure to link with the founding of the NHS, rather than William Beveridge, who wrote the earlier report, or later figures such as Margaret Thatcher or Robert Walpole. The NHS he helped create provides healthcare that is free at the point of use, meaning people do not pay a fee when they are treated. Remember Aneurin Nye Bevan as the minister behind the founding of the NHS in 1948.

Memory tip: Aneurin (Nye) Bevan = the minister behind the founding of the NHS in 1948.