Creation of a public resource- a collection of oral histories on the history of the NHS (Voices of our National Health Service)

Narrative

In 2017, we began work on our national oral history programme NHS at 70: The Story Of Our Lives. The work was supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and led by The University of Manchester. We recorded over 1000 interviews about experiences of health and the place of the NHS in everyday life and work. Collecting these stories at this point was urgent as the generations that remembered the beginning of the NHS in 1948 were in their eighties and nineties.

The collection is now available at the British Library where it will be preserved for now and future generations. It is inclusive of patients, staff, policymakers, and communities - it represents the place of the NHS in everyday life and work.

We work with stakeholders to draw findings from the testimonies to support the development of resources such as briefings, toolkits, and training that can inform policy and practice in the post-Covid-19 period.

Impact date	2017
Category of impact	Attitudes and behaviours, Awareness and understanding
Impact level	Benefit