As part of prime minister Clement Attlee's 'cradle to the grave' welfare state, a nationwide system of free healthcare for all was launched by health minister Aneurin Bevan on July 5, 1948.

Roy Bannon, medical director at West Suffolk Hospital, in Bury St Edmunds, said: "It was devastating to get a serious illness before the NHS.

"People now can't remember the absolute panic if you fell ill or didn't have a job."

Same-sex dormitory wards of more than 30 people, patrolled by formidable matrons, were a novelty for post-war Britain, which enjoyed free doctors, nurses, hospitals and eye care for the first time.

Everyone was appointed a General Practice (GP) to access any type of treatment free of charge, whereas charity was previously the only option for those who could not pay.

Dr Bannon, 61, who started practising medicine in 1968, said: "It was like a weight was lifted off people.

"It was a huge relief to realise if you were sick, you would be looked after."

Medical advances such as transplants, hip replacements, keyhole surgery and advanced technology have helped manage conditions, such as cancer and diabetes, in the 60 years of the NHS.

Heart attack patients, who would have been prescribed two weeks bed rest after an episode in the 1950s, are now back on their feet within 72 hours.

Dr Bannon said: "The changes have been amazing, but we have come full circle with many things.

"People still want to see cleanliness happening."

Restricted visiting hours and matrons have been re-introduced at West Suffolk Hospital, as well as an insistence on hygiene, as superbugs emerge which are resistant to antibiotics.

Patients can now choose where they are treated as part of a current review of the NHS by health minister Lord Darzi.

Dr Bannon said: "As social expectations have gone up, the health service has risen to meet them.

"Patients now see the NHS as a service. They are in charge of their treatment."

But with new super hospitals planned and more community-based care, the NHS still has many challenges ahead.

"The NHS is a national institution, it is like the monarchy," Dr Bannon said. "There will be changes in the future but there would be an outcry if we lost it."

www.dh.gov.uk/en/News/NHS60

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