The National Health Service was established at a time when health care in the United Kingdom was desperately in need of improvement. This OPUS looks at the political decisions surrounding its foundation and the purpose which it was intended to serve. Despite many changes of political ethos since its foundation on 5 July 1948, every government has declared its intention to maintain and improve the National Health Service. Nevertheless, the National Health Service has faced some almost cyclical problems, while apparently new ideas (for example, the introduction of a chief executive) in fact have a long ancestry, and there is a drift towards a seemingly endless pattern of reorganization. Charles Webster's narrative concentrates on policy issues of major import to the patient and consumer including funding, resources, and health issues, as well as recognizing the achievements and limitations of this major national institution.