This article is general information. For health advice, visit the NHS website, call NHS 111 or, in an emergency, call 999.
The National Health Service is one of Britain’s best-loved institutions. Since 1948 it has provided healthcare that is free at the point of use for everyone who lives in the UK, paid for mainly through taxes. Here are 16 facts about the NHS, from its first patient to its biggest changes.
1The NHS was launched on 5 July 1948.
It was created by Aneurin “Nye” Bevan, the Minister of Health in Clement Attlee’s Labour government. For the first time, hospitals, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, opticians and dentists were brought together in one service, free for everyone.
2Its first patient was a 13-year-old girl.
On the NHS’s first day, Bevan visited Park Hospital in Davyhulme, near Manchester, now Trafford General Hospital. There he met 13-year-old Sylvia Diggory, who was being treated for a liver condition and is remembered as the first NHS patient.
3It is built on three core principles.
The NHS was founded to meet everyone’s needs, to be free at the point of delivery, and to be based on clinical need rather than the ability to pay. These principles are still at the heart of the NHS Constitution today.
4There are actually four NHS services.
Health is run separately in each part of the UK. There is NHS England, NHS Scotland and NHS Wales, while Northern Ireland has Health and Social Care, which also covers social care services.
5It is one of the world’s biggest employers.
The NHS in England employs around 1.5 million people, making it the largest employer in Europe and one of the five largest in the world, alongside organisations such as the US Department of Defense and Walmart.
6Charges began within three years, and a minister resigned.
In 1951 the government introduced charges for false teeth and glasses to help pay for the Korean War. Bevan resigned in protest, along with the future prime minister Harold Wilson. Prescription charges followed in 1952, at one shilling per prescription form.
7Prescriptions are free in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Wales scrapped prescription charges in 2007, Northern Ireland in 2010 and Scotland in 2011. In England, most adults pay a charge per item, although many people, including children, over-60s and pregnant women, get them free.
8Most adults pay towards NHS dental treatment.
Unlike GP appointments, NHS dentistry is not free for most adults in England, who pay one of three set charges depending on the treatment. Children and some other groups are exempt.
9It sees over a million patients every 36 hours.
According to the NHS Confederation, the health service in England deals with more than a million patients every 36 hours, from GP visits to emergency operations.
10NHS 111 replaced NHS Direct.
The free NHS 111 phone line for urgent but non-emergency medical help was rolled out across England in 2013, replacing the earlier NHS Direct service.
11Nurses from the Caribbean helped build it.
From its earliest years, the NHS recruited staff from overseas, including thousands of nurses from the Caribbean who arrived as part of the Windrush generation. Staff from around the world remain vital to the health service today.
12It starred in the 2012 Olympics opening ceremony.
Danny Boyle’s opening ceremony for the London 2012 Olympics included a celebration of the NHS, with hundreds of real nurses and staff, many from Great Ormond Street Hospital, dancing around children’s hospital beds.
13The nation clapped for it every Thursday in 2020.
During the first COVID-19 lockdown, from 26 March 2020, millions of people stood on their doorsteps at 8pm every Thursday for ten weeks to “Clap for Carers”, thanking NHS and care workers.
14The NHS was awarded the George Cross.
In July 2021, Queen Elizabeth II awarded the George Cross, the highest civilian award for gallantry, to the NHS in recognition of its staff’s courage and dedication over more than 70 years. It was only the third time the award had been given to a group rather than a person.
15A junior doctor’s diary became a hit TV series.
Adam Kay’s 2017 book This Is Going to Hurt, based on his diaries as a junior doctor, became a bestseller. In 2022 the BBC turned it into a drama starring Ben Whishaw.
16NHS England, the organisation, is being abolished.
In 2025 the government announced that NHS England, the body that oversees the health service in England, would be merged into the Department of Health and Social Care, with the change expected to be completed by 2027. The health service itself is not being abolished.
FAQs about the NHS
Is the NHS free?
Most NHS care, including GP appointments, A&E and hospital treatment, is free for people who live in the UK. Some services, such as prescriptions in England, dental treatment and eye tests, can carry charges.
Do visitors have to pay for NHS treatment?
Some overseas visitors are charged for hospital treatment, but A&E and GP services are free for everyone. Many people moving to the UK pay an immigration health surcharge as part of their visa application.
Who founded the NHS?
Aneurin Bevan, the Minister of Health in Clement Attlee’s government, who launched it on 5 July 1948.
Sources and further reading
Explore more: facts about COVID-19 and facts about antibiotics.
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