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The NHS and the 'sick note'. Laurie Taylor explores the cultural history of the NHS and the changing nature of the welfare state via the 'sick note'.

The NHS and the 'sick note': Laurie Taylor talks to Gareth Millward, Assistant Professor in the Department of History at the University of Southern Denmark (SDU) in Odense, and author of a new study which explores the history of the British welfare state via the story of the ‘sick note’. It turns out that the question of ‘who is really sick? was never straightforward. At various times, it was understood that a signed note from a doctor was not enough to 'prove' whether someone was really sick, yet with no better alternative on offer, the sick note survived in practice and in the popular imagination - just like the welfare state itself.

They’re joined by Sally Sheard, Professor of History at the University of Liverpool, who charts the cultural history and changing understandings of healthcare and the NHS in Britain.

Producer: Jayne Egerton

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28 minutes

Last on

Mon 31 Oct 2022 00:15

Guests and Further Reading

Sick Note: A History of the British Welfare StateÌý(Oxford University Press)


Ìý

Book chapter: ‘I’m afraid[,] there’s no NHS’ inÌýPosters, protests, and prescriptions: Cultural histories of the National Health Service in Britain, edited byÌýJennifer CraneÌýandÌýJane Hand (Manchester University Press)


Broadcasts

  • Wed 26 Oct 2022 16:00
  • Mon 31 Oct 2022 00:15

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