The National Health Service has provided Britain's healthcare since 1948. This institution has been the subject of tense political debate since its inception and has undergone a number of complex reforms and restructures. But the meanings of the NHS are not only - or even primarily - lived out in politics. Nearly every Briton comes into contact with the NHS - from cradle to grave - and this system of healthcare shapes society, culture and everyday life. This book charts these multiple meanings, looking at the NHS as a site of work, activism and consumerism, as a space and in cultural representations. Looking in these ways, the book shows how and why the NHS has become a symbol of Britishness and an object of fierce protectiveness, even love, today.

About the Author

Jennifer Crane is lecturer in health geographies at the School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol and worked as a Public Engagement Research Fellow on the Cultural History of the NHS project at the University of Warwick

Jane Hand worked as a Research Fellow on the Cultural History of the NHS project at the University of Warwick

Reviews

'This is the first book to address the NHS using a cultural studies framework. It produces rich and complex evidence of change over time across popular attachments and social meanings and attitudes, while demonstrating the value of new approaches to visual and material sources.'
Stephanie Snow, Professor of Health, History and Policy, University of Manchester

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Book Information
ISBN 9781526163462
Author Jennifer Crane
Format Hardback
Page Count 368
Imprint Manchester University Press
Publisher Manchester University Press
Weight(grams) 572g
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 138mm * 21mm