Developing health and social care under the reforms of Tony Blair and Clement Attlee, Prime Ministers of Great Britain and Northern Ireland

In July 1948, the British National Health Service (NHS) was introduced by then Prime Minister Clement Attlee with the aim of offering "free" medical treatment for the entire British population from cradle to grave. Since then, the British public have come to see the NHS and its free health care as a fundamental human right and a cornerstone to their democracy, and subsequent governments have been understandably reluctant to change or reform this popular program. Yet, funding issues, as well as societal changes and technological advances, are threatening the way the NHS performs. While the NHS was intended to be a flexible and responsive service, its restrictive practice culture and attitudes of staff, organizational flaws, and funding issues often work against patients' interests and government ideas of health policy. This paper outlines how the Blair Government has attempted to alter health and social care within the UK and to fundamentally change how the NHS works, with particular effect on its staff