The NHS would not exist as we know it today without the work of early pioneers. Long before its founding in 1948, reformers, visionaries, and campaigners laid the intellectual, moral, and practical groundwork for a national health service. They challenged the injustices of the Poor Law, imagined systems of care that served everyone, not just the wealthy, and pushed for state responsibility in public health.

The NHS was not born overnight, it was the result of tireless effort, bold imagination, and a shared belief that healthcare should be a right, not a privilege. Here are a few of the names that stand out:

Nye Bevan, as Minister of Health, brought the NHS into being in 1948, determined to “universalise the best” care for all. He was backed by Clement Attlee, whose post-war Labour government prioritised social justice and reconstruction. Their efforts were built on the intellectual foundations laid by William Beveridge, whose 1942 report proposed a welfare state to defeat the “Five Giants” of Want, Disease, Ignorance, Squalor, and Idleness.

Earlier reformers had already begun reshaping public health. David Lloyd George introduced the 1911 National Insurance Act, offering working people access to medical care for the first time. Dr Benjamin Moore, a Liverpool physician, coined the phrase “National Health Service” in 1910 and envisioned a state-run system where doctors acted as guardians of public health. Beatrice Webb, through her 1909 Minority Report, challenged the Poor Law and called for coordinated public services, laying the groundwork for state-led healthcare. These thinkers and policymakers helped shift Britain’s view of health from charity to entitlement.

Alongside them stood pioneers of care and compassion. Florence Nightingale revolutionised nursing and hospital hygiene, proving that organised, evidence-based care could save lives. Mary Seacole, often overlooked, brought healing and dignity to soldiers during the Crimean War, defying racial and gender barriers to serve where she was needed most.

The NHS was built on the shoulders of these figures; politicians,

reformers, and caregivers who laid the foundation for one of the

world’s most enduring public health systems.