The cultural history of the NHS

The NHS has become a national symbol, a cultural icon and a focus of popular and political belief, enthusiasm, criticism and even anger. Despite this, its place at the heart of British culture and identity remains unexamined. Professor Thompson and Dr Bivins are exploring the NHS from 1948 to 2018, and are seeking to reconstruct popular attitudes towards and understandings of the NHS from its early years to the present day. As well as this, they are examining cultural representations of the NHS in all their forms, scrutinising the self-representation strategies of the policies, and conveying cultural norms of behaviour and belief.