A brief history of the National Health Service

How it began and where it stands today.

Paying for health

Why more people are opting to go private

Blood donors

How many Britons have donated blood?

GP patient survey

People turn first to their local doctor for help and advice on their health concerns. Are they happy with the service?

Blood types and donors

Main blood types and why blood donations are crucial

A curiously French complaint

Diagnosed with a severe lung infection in France but in the UK simply told to get on with it. Why is there such a difference in attitudes to health?

By the end of my first year as a doctor, I was ready to kill myself

A junior doctor explains how the stress of saving lives nearly compelled her to take her own.

Ways to pay

Different ways to fund health care

The NHS in figures

Staffing, finance and international comparisons

NHS challenges

The NHS has great public support - but is it failing to meet the needs of the UK today?

Quality of care

Patients' experiences of the NHS

Satisfaction with the NHS

Public views and feelings towards NHS

Stretchers lining the corridors and unbearable crowding: the reality of life working on the frontline

An A&E consultant reveals the pressures of working in NHS.

A service in crisis?

The NHS after Covid-19

Staff experiences

How it feels to work in the NHS

Saving Lives

This doctor explains how the mundane day-to-day life of a GP isn't heroic - but does save lives

The NHS prioritising those with a 'healthy lifestyle'?

Bit tubby? Back of the queue. Smoker? Back of the queue. Drinker? Back of the queue. Natasha Devon was pre-judged because she was a 'big girl'. She nearly died