The NHS was founded on 5 July 1948 and 2023 marks its 75th anniversary.

The National Archives has a fascinating collection relating to NHS history, charting its foundation and development at a national level.

We are marking this milestone with some new projects and fresh insights into our collections and are delighted to put the foundational document of the NHS, the Beveridge Report, on display at our Kew site.

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'Here is our chance to do something big'

Explore the foundations of Britain's National Health Service.

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NHS posters and leaflets

This gallery showcases some of the posters and leaflets over the years.

Event

View the Beveridge Report

See the document that started it all - on display from Tuesday 4 July.

Guidance

Researching healthcare family histories

Get some tips for researching medical professionals in the past

Study resource

Education resources for NHS 75

Discover our free learning resources for teachers and students

Collaboration

Young people explore NHS history

Find out about our new collaboration with young people's project Anstee Bridge

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A tour of the nation's health archives

Our archive sector team offer some national highlights from healthcare related archives, including correspondence...

About

More about the 75th anniversary commemorations

Find out how the NHS is marking its birthday (external site).

Shop

Further reading

Some reading suggestions from our shop team to take you deeper into NHS history