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The Five Giant Evils And Their Impact On The Development Of The National Health Service

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This essay will discuss the beginnings of the welfare state, the beverage report, the 5 giant evils and their impact social policy had on the development of the National Health Service in post war Britain and today.

The national health service was established in 1948, with the focus on an idea to bring good healthcare to all. Nurses, doctors, pharmacists, opticians and dentists were brought together under one umbrella organisation to provide services free to all at point of delivery and based on clinical need, not ability to pay. (NHS 2015) The aim was that the service was universally open to all, people paid a flat rate contribution which provided minimum benefits for food, shelter and clothing. This series of ideas was a way of getting …show more content…

The giant evils still exist, and have taken different forms. Described as modern evils, they play a big role in present day welfare. (Brindle et al 2014). Over the decades, between the setup of the welfare state and today, there were changes of political leadership that had an impact on the delivery of the support for society. Around the 1960’s it was becoming clear that the welfare state was not the answer to all ills and persistent problems remained. (Gladstone 1995). 1970s saw the unemployment rate rising, a conservative government wanted the “active citizen” to take more responsibly, and the transfer of welfare to voluntary groups or commercial organisations. (Gladstone 1995). Over the past 30 years’ globalisation and competition had pushed down prices, however housing, food and fuel prices have all increased, between 2008 and 2014 the cost of living increased three times faster than average wages. (Joseph Rowntree Foundation …show more content…

Newman (2008) suggests that the conservative party have always been righter wing, with their main policies creating more law and order, for example immigration clamp down and cuts to welfare benefits. Conservatives believe in social conservatism, which focuses on traditional values, building an economy that works hard and plays by the rules, and providing a safety net for those in need and rewards for willingness to work. The conservative party are known for their belief that the state should have limited intervention, however there are changes to the ideology of the members of the modern conservative government as they are striving for change, and moving away from older forms on conservatism, which Teresa May said had created a “nasty party “ in her 2002 conference speech. Newman (2008) suggests that modern day Politian’s are difficult to place on the political spectrum, due to conflicting ideological

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