Bevan : Creator of the NHS Paperback / softback

The creation of the National Health Service was the most significant of the many reforms of the post-war Labour government.

The man responsible was Aneurin 'Nye' Bevan. The son of a Welsh miner, he became a local trade union leader at only nineteen and in 1929 was elected as a Labour MP.

Bevan believed the war was Britain's opportunity to create a new society, a position he maintained throughout the conflict.

When war ended in 1945, the landslide Labour victory gave him the chance to make this vision a reality.

Known for his impassioned oratory, Bevan's fundamental belief that the new NHS should be freely available to all was ultimately at odds with a government struggling to balance the books.

He resigned in 1951 over the introduction of charges for prescriptions and glasses.

With the NHS requiring an ever-increasing share of national income, this updated edition considers Bevan's legacy as the future of the health service he created is fought over as never before.