Before the NHS — What Was Wrong?
Part of The NHS · GCSE GCSE History revision
This deep dive covers Before the NHS — What Was Wrong? within The NHS for GCSE History. Revise The NHS in Medicine Through Time for GCSE History with 8 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 3 of 15 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Topic position
Section 3 of 15
Practice
8 questions
Recall
15 flashcards
🧠 Before the NHS — What Was Wrong?
| Problem | Effect |
|---|---|
| Fees | Doctors charged per visit. Poor families couldn't afford treatment. |
| Insurance (1911) | Lloyd George's National Insurance only covered working men — not wives, children, unemployed. |
| Charity hospitals | Relied on donations. Often overcrowded, underfunded. |
| Patchwork system | No national planning. Some areas had good hospitals, others none. |
Keep building this topic
Read this section alongside the surrounding pages in The NHS. That gives you the full topic sequence instead of a single isolated revision point.
Practice Questions for The NHS
On what date was the National Health Service (NHS) officially launched?
Which document published in 1942 identified 'Five Giants' including Disease and laid the foundations for the NHS?
Quick Recall Flashcards
8 questions on The NHS — practise free
Instant marking, adaptive difficulty, and 15 spaced repetition flashcards. Free until your GCSEs.
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