Health history

1:02pm Friday 2nd May 2008

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SIX decades of a life-changing healthcare revolution are about to be celebrated in York - and you can play your part.

The NHS marks its 60th anniversary in July and York Hospitals Foundation Trust is drawing up plans to look back at the organisation's history by mounting a string of exhibitions and events.

These will include a Life In The Forties exhibition and an historical timeline showing different hospital premises and developments since 1948, when the NHS was launched by then Health Minister Aneurin Bevan, at Park Hospital, in Trafford, Manchester.

Now the trust is seeking the help of people in York to gather photographs, memorabilia and memories about healthcare in 1948, including those who were patients in the city's hospitals at the time or who worked there.

A series of opportunities for people to bring in items and recount their stories of the birth of the NHS are to be organised over the coming months, and Janet Mountain, project manager for the trust's anniversary celebrations, is asking them to start thinking now about how they can get involved.

"We currently have a lot of ideas about how we would like to mark this milestone and the kind of projects we would like to stage," she said.

"But the main one is called Health Recollections, where we are asking members of the public to work with us and reflect on their health experiences specifically from 1948, when the NHS was created.

"They may have been working in healthcare in York at the time or they may have been the first patient in one of the city's NHS hospitals - whatever their stories might be, we would love to hear from them.

"What we are looking to do to manage this is to arrange a number of events where we will ask people to bring in their old pictures, memorabilia and experiences to be included as part of this celebration of the NHS. We're sure there will be many people out there who would like to be involved in this.

"The health service in 1948 was very different to how it is today and that is why we want to create a timeline showing how it has changed in the last 60 years and. hopefully. some of the memories and items people can bring in to us will be included in that."

The trust is also trawling its archives, based at the Borthwick Institute, at the University of York, to tell the story of the NHS in the city, but Janet says public participation is crucial to bringing the celebrations to life.

"The NHS has always been for the people, and that's why we want the people to be part of this anniversary," she said.

"The last 60 years have seen major changes in all areas of life and healthcare is no different, so we're sure people will have some interesting tales to tell about the remarkable history of the NHS.

"We would like people to start thinking about how they might be able to help us now. But it's important to remember that we are very much talking about memories, pictures and items from 1948."

More information about where you can share your NHS memories and be part of the anniversary celebrations will be published in The Press, at York Hospital and on the trust's website - www.yorkhealthservices.org - in due course.