|
1617
|
Formation of the Society of Apothecaries
|
|
1815
|
Apothecaries Act
(55 Geo.lll, c.194) for the "better regulating
the Practice of Apothecaries throughout England and Wales",
introduced compulsory apprenticeship and formal qualification; and
gave the Society of Apothecaries the right to examine and license
apothecaries. Subsequently the licentiateship (LSA, changed to
LMSSA in 1907) became the commonest qualification among general
practitioners, although by 1840 it has been estimated that only
about a third of those practising medicine were qualified by
examination.
|
|
1834
|
Poor Law Amendment
Actcalled for the provision of sick
wards in parish workhouses. Although intended for the people in the
workhouses, the wards soon became full with sick poor people from
the parish in general, prompting the state to assess how best this
situation could be dealt with.
|
|
1844
|
New charter of the Royal
College of Surgeons of England creating small number of
Fellows and closing the later route to Fellowship to be by
examination only. The vast majority of members of the College, who
were working as general practitioners and had the MRCS/LSA
qualifications became disenfranchised from the governance of the
College.
|
|
December
1844
|
Establishment of the National
Association of General Practitioners in Medicine, Surgery
and Midwifery.
|
|
1847
|
Select Committee on
registration and practice of medicine and
surgery.
|
|
1848
|
The General Board of Health,
established to review and centralize provision for public health
but had little power to do so
|
|
1854
|
Report of a Select Committee on
Medical Poor Relief. Much of the evidence given to
the Committee favoured extending the medical services of the Poor
Law to a much larger section of the population through such schemes
as free dispensaries.
|
|
1858
|
Medical
Act(21 &22 Vict., c.90)
established the "General Council of Medical Education and
Registration" (General Medical Council) and required all medical
practitioners to register with the Council and for the Council to
supervise the training of doctors. Women doctors were permitted to
register.
|
|
1911
|
National Insurance Act, gave basic medical cover for the working population who
earnt less than £2 a week.
|
|
1920
|
Dawson report published. The "Primary" health centre is
advocated
|
|
1926
|
Royal Commission on National Health
Insurancesuggested separating the
medical service from the insurance system and setting up instead, a
service, which encompassed all public health activities paid for by
public funds.
|
|
1929
|
Poor law system ended, local authorities take over work houses and their medical
facilities.
|
|
1939-1945
|
War. The
pressures of the conflict led to the establishment of the Emergency
Bed Service.
|
|
1942
|
Sir
William Beveridge, who had been appointed by the
Government to chair an inter-departmental committee to look into
the existing National Insurance schemes reported. He identifying
health care as one of the three basic prerequisites for a viable
social security system and in so doing laid the foundations for the
NHS.
|
|
1944
|
A white
paper "National Health Service", published in
1944, which said: "everybody, irrespective of means, age, sex
or occupation shall have equal opportunity to benefit from the best
and most up-to-date medical and allied services available It added
that the services should be comprehensive and free of charge and
should promote good health as well as treating sickness and
disease."
|
|
1947
|
American Academy of General
Practiceformed [later renamed
American Academy of Family Physicians]
|
|
1948
|
Formation
of the NHS. General practice became responsible
for all personal medical care and the gateway for individuals to
access hospital, specialist care and sickness
benefit. However, General Practitioners were not able to cope
with such a massively expanded service without a reciprocal rise in
physical, financial and administrative support.
|