What was health care like before the NHS?

I need to know about health care before the NHS. Did people have to pay for it?? What were hospitals like? Were dental services free?
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Before the NHS, people generally had to pay for health treatment. There were schemes for workers in industries, factories, on estates etc. and many charities helped those who couldn't pay - but health care was a lottery if you were poor. Hospitals were generally forbidding places, with nurses very strict and visitors not encouraged. However, the nurses were generally dedicated to their work, which was to get the patient well as quickly as possible, so hospital infections were almost non-existent - Matron would have scared them away! Dental services were charged for. However, if people had spent what they spend today on taxes to pay for the NHS, probably the cost would have come out the same, taking inflation etc. into account. Don't forget people have to pay taxes involuntarily, but if they were told to put that amount of money aside to pay for health care, would probably have 'forgotten' and complained when charged for care. So all in all, the burden of health costs has been lifted from poorer members of society, but for everyone else we probably pay exactly the same proportion of our income as we would have in the old days, but - today we live longer, so are paying more for drugs to keep us alive for illnesses such as cancer. Hope this helpful. Verite R
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