Public Health 1900-1945

By 1900, towns were getting cleaner and public health was beginning to improving.

The Government gave no help to the sick, unemployed or elderly. But they needed a healthy and fit workforce!

Charles Booth

• 1840-1916
• Found that 35% of London's population were living in poverty.
• He spent weeks living in EAST lONDON BUILDING UP A DETAILED DESCRIPTION
• hE ARGUED THAT THE gOV. HAD TO TAKE MORE RESPONSIBILITY AND ARGUED FOR PENSIONS

Seebohm Rowntree

• 1871-1954
• Inspired by Booth he looked at York.
• His researchers spoke to 46,000 residents and found that nearly half were living in poverty.
• Invented term 'poverty line' and became government adviser to
• Linked poverty to poor health

1907, School for mothers

• The importance of hygiene and danger of diarrhoea for infants.
• that breastfeeding was better than bottle feeding
• How flies spread disease
• That good mothering was a duty to be performed for King and Country.

1911 life expectancy

Liberal Reforms

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• 1906 Free School Meals
• 1907 Created school medical inspections
• Maintenance to be paid to divorced women
• 1908 illegal to sell alcohol, tobacco or fireworks to children.

1911 National Insurance Act

• Aim was to give workers medical help and sick pay if they could not work through illness.
• Workers, employers and the Government had to pay into the scheme.
• Seen as a huge change but it did not include worker's families or elderly.

dAVID lLOYD gEORGE

• bECAME pRIME mINISTER IN 1916 DURING ww1.
• hE WAS A BRILLIANT SPEAKER DETERMINED TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF ORDINARY PEOPLE AND WAS A FRIEND OF rOWNTREE.
• hE WANTED TO INCREASE THE TAXES OF THE RICH TO PAY FOR PENSIONS ETC.

"This is a war budget...to wage implacable warfare against poverty and squalidness"
Lloyd George

Impact of war

"Certainly many soldiers enjoyed a better diet, better medical care and better welfare than they had as civilians."

WW1

• In 1919, a new Housing Act became law.
• LLoyd George promised 'Homes fit for Heroes' for the returning soldiers.
• The Act said that local councils had to provide good homes for working people to rent.
• 250,000 new homes built

However....

• 1930s, unemployment rose to 3 million.
• All those unemployed could nOt get access to nATIONAL iNSURANCE sCHEME.
• tHE NUMBER OF INFANT DEATHS IN SOME TOWNS STARTED TO RISE AGAIN.

1921 life expectancy

1931 life expectancy

WW2

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• fIRST WAR ALL 'WERE IN IT TOGETHER'
• pEOPLE BELIEVED THAT EVERYONE SHOULD HAVE ACCESS TO GOOD HEALTH CARE NOT JUST THE WEALTHY.
• sOME PEOPE GOT FREE HEALTH CARE TO KEEP THEM FIT FOR THE WAR EFFORT.
• aFTER THE WAR PEOPLE WANTED A BETTER FUTURE & THIS MEANT FREE HEALTHCARE.

mANY PEOPLE WERE SHOCKED AT THE CONDITION OF EVACUEE CHILDREN.
tHEY WERE DIRTY, UNHEALTHY AND UNDER-NOURISHED.

1942 Beveridge Report

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• William Beveridge set out proposals to fight the 'Five Giant Evils' of Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor and Idleness.'

sIR wILLIAM Beveridge

• Recommended setting up a National Health Service, free to everyone and paid for from taxes.
• Doctors, nurses and other medical workers would become government employees instead of charging the sick to create their wages.

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• Everyone in work would pay National Insurance out of their pay. This would pay benefits (sick pay etc) to everyone whether they were working or not.
• Ordinary people LOVED the Beveridge report.

1944, the Government proposes a free and comprehensive health service.
1948, the NHS starts offering free health care to all!

1951 life expectancy