This six-part series explores the immense significance of the NHS to the British people. From its founding in July 1948, to the unprecedented pressures it faces today, Cal Flyn documents critical moments in the organisation’s history.

Sarah Itam, urological surgeon. Fellow at University College Hospital, London, Benjamin Gilbert. Source: Wellcome Collection. Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0).