GCSE History | Medicine in the 20th Century and the NHS

History Quiz - Medicine: The Twentieth Century (Questions)

In GCSE History students will look at the world of medicine and the advancements that have been made in it over time. One period they will look at is the 20th Century, focussing particularly on the NHS.

The key event in medicine in 20th Century Britain was undoubtedly the setting up of the NHS in 1948. Free public healthcare at the point of use was hailed as a major advance in its time. Sadly, the NHS began to show signs of age after about 30 years, and a debate began about how best to reform it.

Test your knowledge of medicine in 20th Century Britain in this quiz.

Which one of the following types of organisations provided health insurance before the setting up of the NHS?

[ ]	Lotteries
[ ]	Friendly Societies
[ ]	Health Clubs
[ ]	Food Banks

In Beveridge's Report of 1942, he argued in favour of a welfare state, including a free health service. Which of the following categories of people did he feel deserving of free health care?

[ ]	Bombing casualties
[ ]	Black market operators
[ ]	Conscientious objectors
[ ]	Returning exiles

Which doctors' organisation at first rejected the NHS idea, and then changed its mind?

[ ]	The British Medical Association
[ ]	The Royal College of Surgeons
[ ]	The Royal College of Physicians
[ ]	The "Lancet"

Which elected government bodies opposed the NHS, as they would have to relinquish control over local hospitals?

[ ]	National Assistance Boards
[ ]	Local authorities
[ ]	Community Health Councils
[ ]	Trades Councils

Which cabinet minister steered the NHS legislation through by the summer of 1948?

[ ]	Ernest Bevin
[ ]	Herbert Morrison
[ ]	Hugh Dalton
[ ]	Aneurin Bevan

Which group of medical practitioners were allowed under the NHS to keep their lucrative private practices as well as their NHS salaries?

[ ]	GPs
[ ]	Consultants
[ ]	Registrars
[ ]	Junior Hospital Doctors

All NHS treatment was free at the point of use, but in the early 1950s charges were imposed on certain items to pay for the Korean War. Which of the following was now charged?

[ ]	Creams for skin infections
[ ]	Vaccinations against smallpox
[ ]	False teeth
[ ]	Hearing aids

In 1969 responsibility for health care in Wales was removed from the Secretary of State for Health and given to which other minister?

[ ]	The Secretary of State for Wales
[ ]	The Home Secretary
[ ]	The Chancellor of the Exchequer
[ ]	The Foreign Secretary

The Conservatives under Thatcher and the Labour Party under Blair sought more funding for the NHS from the private sector. Blair's PFI was highly controversial. What does PFI stand for?

[ ]	Public Finance Initiative
[ ]	Private Funding Initiative
[ ]	Private Finance Initiative
[ ]	Private Funds Idea

10.

Which of the following factors is the greatest long-term threat to the NHS's present structure and organisation?

[ ]	A higher percentage of children surviving into adulthood
[ ]	The elimination of dangerous diseases
[ ]	The continued prevalence of peace over war
[ ]	An increasingly ageing population, as people live longer lives without directly contributing in most cases to the Service's funds

History Quiz - Medicine: The Twentieth Century (Answers)

Which one of the following types of organisations provided health insurance before the setting up of the NHS?

[ ]	Lotteries
[x]	Friendly Societies
[ ]	Health Clubs
[ ]	Food Banks

If you did not wish to pay for health care, charitable provision or insurance policies were the only alternatives before 1948

In Beveridge's Report of 1942, he argued in favour of a welfare state, including a free health service. Which of the following categories of people did he feel deserving of free health care?

[x]	Bombing casualties
[ ]	Black market operators
[ ]	Conscientious objectors
[ ]	Returning exiles

Beveridge was a liberal, but it was the Labour Party that embraced his ideas and carried them out

Which doctors' organisation at first rejected the NHS idea, and then changed its mind?

[x]	The British Medical Association
[ ]	The Royal College of Surgeons
[ ]	The Royal College of Physicians
[ ]	The "Lancet"

The Labour Government was skilled at dividing the medical profession by buying off sections of it with bribes

Which elected government bodies opposed the NHS, as they would have to relinquish control over local hospitals?

[ ]	National Assistance Boards
[x]	Local authorities
[ ]	Community Health Councils
[ ]	Trades Councils

It was decided at an early stage that hospitals would be centrally controlled

Which cabinet minister steered the NHS legislation through by the summer of 1948?

[ ]	Ernest Bevin
[ ]	Herbert Morrison
[ ]	Hugh Dalton
[x]	Aneurin Bevan

This was a job that demanded great patience, tact and determination

Which group of medical practitioners were allowed under the NHS to keep their lucrative private practices as well as their NHS salaries?

[ ]	GPs
[x]	Consultants
[ ]	Registrars
[ ]	Junior Hospital Doctors

Private practice was far from abolished: it was tolerated, even encouraged

All NHS treatment was free at the point of use, but in the early 1950s charges were imposed on certain items to pay for the Korean War. Which of the following was now charged?

[ ]	Creams for skin infections
[ ]	Vaccinations against smallpox
[x]	False teeth
[ ]	Hearing aids

The Chancellor of the Exchequer could see no other way of paying for this foreign policy crisis

In 1969 responsibility for health care in Wales was removed from the Secretary of State for Health and given to which other minister?

[x]	The Secretary of State for Wales
[ ]	The Home Secretary
[ ]	The Chancellor of the Exchequer
[ ]	The Foreign Secretary

This move was undertaken partly to satisfy Welsh public opinion. But it is not clear that it made health provision in Wales more efficient

The Conservatives under Thatcher and the Labour Party under Blair sought more funding for the NHS from the private sector. Blair's PFI was highly controversial. What does PFI stand for?

[ ]	Public Finance Initiative
[ ]	Private Funding Initiative
[x]	Private Finance Initiative
[ ]	Private Funds Idea

The only other way of raising more money was through higher taxation, which both prime ministers opposed

10.

Which of the following factors is the greatest long-term threat to the NHS's present structure and organisation?

[ ]	A higher percentage of children surviving into adulthood
[ ]	The elimination of dangerous diseases
[ ]	The continued prevalence of peace over war
[x]	An increasingly ageing population, as people live longer lives without directly contributing in most cases to the Service's funds

All of these factors affect the NHS already. But the latter is the most serious one