In a series tracing decisive moments in the life of our National Health Service, medical historian Sally Sheard explores the archive to tell the stories behind five crucial moments, in this second omnibus edition from Radio 4’s National Health Stories series.

Cigarettes & Chimneys: When a new deadly disease, lung cancer, began to grip the nation, the NHS was forced to consider its role - should it just treat the illnesses of its patients, or prevent them too?

Hip Innovation: Life in the new NHS gave some hospital doctors the time and freedom to innovate, like John Charnley who invented the 'Charnley' hip replacement.

Kidney Dilemma: How the life-saving invention of the ‘artificial kidney’ machine in the 1960s came at a cost, bringing moral dilemmas in its wake, for doctors and for society as a whole.

Modern Hospital: How the new ‘modern’ hospital designs transformed not only the lives of staff, who worked and often lived in hospitals, but the experiences of patients too.

Sexual Health Service: How the contraceptive pill forced the NHS to acknowledge, for the first time, all women’s healthcare needs, sexual health included.

Producer: Beth Eastwood Show less