NHS History

Milestones of the NHS

1948	NHS is born, providing healthcare services that are free for all at the point of delivery
1949	Ministries of Health and Labour, with the Colonial Office, the General Nursing Council and the Royal College of Nursing begin a massive recruitment drive throughout the West Indies to recruit staff to the NHS
1953	DNA’s structure is discovered by two Cambridge University scientists James D Watson and Francis Crick, revolutionising the study of disease caused by the defective genes. The discovery included vital work from Rosalind Franklin
1956	Polio immunisation programme begins
1956	The first kidney dialysis is performed by Frank Parsons at Leeds General Infirmary, marking the opening of the first artificial kidney unit in the UK
1957	Whooping cough immunisation programme begins
1958	Polio and diphtheria vaccination programmes ensure that everyone under 15 is vaccinated
1958	The first successful cardiopulmonary by-pass programme in the UK began at the Hammersmith Hospital, London
1960	The first kidney transplant takes place at Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, involving identical twins
1960	First implantable heart pacemaker is used
1962	The first full hip replacement is carried out by Professor John Charnley at Wrightington Hospital in Wigan
1967	The first successful treatment for rhesus disease of the newborn, which causes serious health problems including deafness and blindness
1968	Measles vaccine is introduced
1968	The first heart transplant is carried out by South African-born surgeon Donald Ross at the National Heart Hospital in London
1968	Europe’s first liver transplant performed by Professor Sir Roy Calne at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge
1972	CT scans revolutionise the way doctors examine the body, allowing three-dimensional images to be produced from a large series of two-dimensional X-rays
1973	Number of cases of whooping cough falls to nearly zero due to immunisation programme
1978	The world’s first test-tube baby, Louise Brown, is born as a result of in-vitro fertilisation (IVF), developed by Dr Patrick Steptoe
1979	The first successful bone marrow transplant on a child is carried out by Professor Roland Levinsky at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London
1979	UK heart transplant programme began at Papworth Hospital, Cambridgeshire by surgeon Sir Terence English
1980	MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans are introduced
1980	Keyhole surgery is used successfully for the first time to carry out the removal of a gall bladder
1983	UK liver transplant programme begins
1983	First combined heart and lung transplant in the UK performed by Prof Sir Magdi Yacoub at Harefield Hospital, Middlesex
1986	Artificial heart programme began at Harefield Hospital, Middlesex
1986	First lung-only transplant in Europe carried out by Prof John Dark at the Freeman Hospital, Newcastle
1987	The world’s first heart, lung and liver transplant is carried out by Professor Sir Roy Calne and Professor John Wallwork at Papworth Hospital in Cambridge
1987	Britain’s first ever purpose-built AIDS ward is opened at the Middlesex Hospital by Princess Diana
1987	Britain’s first successful heart transplant baby is operated on at Freeman Hospital in Newcastle
1988	Free breast screening is introduced to reduce breast cancer deaths in women over 50, the first of its kind in the world
1992	Vaccine against Haemophilius influenzae type B (Hib), a cause of childhood meningitis, is introduced to vaccination programme
1992	World’s first laser surgery on babies in the womb to treat potentially fatal twin to twin transfusion syndrome takes place at King’s College Hospital, London
1994	The NHS Organ Donor Register is set up for people wishing to donate their organs
1999	UK becomes first country in the world to use a vaccine against Group C meningococcal disease
2000	NHS walk-in centres are introduced to offer easy access to a range of services
2002	First successful treatment of a child in the UK by gene therapy at Great Ormond Street Hospital, London
2006	NHS Bowel Cancer Screening Programme launched for those aged 60-69, the first ever screening programme to target both men and women
2007	Introduction of robotic arm leads to ground-breaking heart operations for patients with fast or irregular heartbeats
2007	First living donor in the UK at St James’ Hospital in Leeds when David Lomas, 20, donated part of his liver to his father Stephen, 50, who had advanced liver disease
2007	St James’s Institute of Oncology, the largest cancer centre in Europe, opens in Leeds
2008	Vaccine to prevent cervical cancer (HPV) available for all schoolgirls aged 12
2010	UK’s first cochlear implant operation to provide hearing in both ears
2011	Successful trial of an artificial pancreas
2011	UK’s first Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) operation performed – Beau Britton, seven, from Cornwall is the first child to be funded by a local NHS trust for the neurological procedure
2012	Announcement of DNA mapping for cancer patients and rare diseases (100,000 genomes project)
2012	First UK hand transplant – a surgical team at Leeds General Infirmary carried out the operation
2013	Cancer Drugs Fund is established creating a national list of approved fast-track drugs giving uniform access to treatment across the country
2016	First double hand transplant performed at Leeds Teaching Hospital NHS Trust
2016	NHS England funded Bionic Eye Surgery
2017	Roll out of mechanical thrombectomy enabling stroke patients in England to receive revolutionary new treatment
2017	NHS England announces world’s largest single PrEP implementation trial to prevent HIV infection
2018	NHS England announces children in England will be the first in the Europe to access CAR-T, marking the beginning of a new era of personalised cancer medicine
2019	NHS England strikes world leading deal to enable everyone with Hepatitis C to receive curative treatment at a cost-effect price which will enable England to eliminate it before 2030
2019	NHS England funds first ever treatment for children with spinal muscular atrophy
2019	NHS England strikes deal for a first-in-a-new-generation of gene therapies which can cure blindness in children
2019	Patients in England living with cystic fibrosis are given access to all three licenced treatments
2020	First known case of COVID-19 reported in the UK – in December, Margaret Keenan becomes the first person in the world to receive a COVID-19 jab outside of a clinical trial.
2020	NHS launches a call for volunteers to become NHS Volunteer Responders
2020	Start of COVID-19 vaccination campaign starting with 90-year-old grandmother Margaret Keenan, who became the first person in the world to receive the Pfizer COVID-19 jab following its clinical approval
2020	The NHS becomes the first health system in the world to commit to become carbon net zero
2021	The first treatment for sickle cell disease in over 20 years is rolled out to patients in England with life-saving benefits
2021	Dexamethasone, discovered as an effective treatment for COVID-19 in a clinical trial in the NHS, saves one million lives worldwide
2021	The first climate-friendly baby is born in Newcastle Hospitals NHS Trust
2022	NHS England strikes a deal for the ‘world’s most expensive drug’ that can offer babies and young children with metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) the prospect of a normal life
2022	The NHS conducts the first net zero operation at Solihull Hospital
2022	The Innovative Medicines Fund, which will enable faster patient access to promising new drugs, is launched
2022	The 100th cancer drug is fast tracked to patients through the Cancer Drugs Fund
2022	NHS treats first sickle cell disease patients with life-changing drug
2022	NHS staff honoured with George Cross by Her Majesty The Queen at Windsor Castle