With hindsight: Ministry materials

We think we remember how things were in times past, but a browse through some Ministry of Health publications from the 1940s and 1950s may jolt the memories of a few practitioners and surprise those who qualified at a later date.

A good starting point is the National Health Service Handbook For Medical Practitioners, Ophthalmic Opticians and Dispensing Opticians (December 1949). The Handbook went through many versions over the years as NHS regulations changed, but the 1949 edition is placed very close to the National Health Service Act of 1946. There is a surprising statement on the first page, under The Supplementary Ophthalmic Services: What They Are. It says: 'The object of the eye services provided by the National Health Service is that the care of the eyes, with sight-testing and the supply of spectacles, where necessary, should be carried out...in special ophthalmic departments and clinics forming part of the Hospital Service...These arrangements are quite distinct from those covered by this handbook. The building up of the hospital service must inevitably take time and the National Health Service Act therefore makes provision for supplementary ophthalmic services...administered locally...by Executive Councils.'