Editing Harold Wilson (section)

====Health====
The proportion of GNP spent on the [[National Health Service]] rose from 4.2% in 1964 to about 5% in 1969. This additional expenditure provided for an energetic revival of a policy of building health centres for [[general practitioner]]s, extra pay for doctors who served in areas particularly short of them, significant growth in hospital staffing, and a significant increase in a hospital building programme. Far more money was spent each year on the NHS than under the 1951–64 Conservative governments, while much more effort was put into modernising and reorganising the health service.<ref name="ReferenceN"/> Stronger central and regional organisations were established for bulk purchase of hospital supplies, while some efforts were made to reduce inequalities in standards of care. In addition, the government increased the intake to medical schools.<ref name="inequality"/>

The [[1966 Doctor's Charter]] introduced allowances for rent and ancillary staff, significantly increased the pay scales, and changed the structure of payments to reflect "both qualifications of doctors and the form of their practices, i.e. group practice". These changes not only led to higher morale, but also resulted in the increased use of ancillary staff and nursing attachments, growth in the number of health centres and group practices, and a boost in the modernisation of practices in terms of equipment, appointment systems, and buildings.<ref name="byrne1"/> The charter introduced a new system of payment for GPs, with refunds for surgery, rents, and rates, to ensure that the costs of improving his surgery did not diminish the doctor's income, together with allowances for the greater part of ancillary staff costs. In addition, a Royal Commission on medical education was set up, partly to draw up ideas for training GPs (since these doctors, the largest group of all doctors in the country, had previously not received any special training, "merely being those who, at the end of their pre-doctoral courses, did not go on for further training in any speciality").<ref name="ReferenceN"/>

In 1967, local authorities were empowered to provide free [[family planning]] advice and [[means-tested]] [[contraceptive devices]].<ref name="ReferenceC"/> In addition, [[Medical education in the United Kingdom|medical training]] was expanded following the Todd Report on medical education in 1968.<ref name="byrne1"/><ref>''General practice under the National Health Service 1948–1997'' by Irvine Loudon, John Horder, Charles Webster.</ref> In addition, National Health expenditure rose from 4.2% of GNP in 1964 to 5% in 1969 and spending on hospital construction doubled.<ref name="shorthistory"/> The Health Services and Public Health Act 1968 empowered local authorities to maintain workshops for the elderly either directly or via the agency of a voluntary body. A [[Health Advisory Service]] was later established to investigate and confront the problems of long-term psychiatric and mentally subnormal hospitals in the wave of [[Ely Hospital|numerous scandals]].<ref name="byrne1"/> The [[Clean Air Act 1968]] extended powers to combat [[Air pollution in the United Kingdom|air pollution]].<ref name="Longman">''The Longman Companion to The Labour Party 1900–1998'' by Harry Harmer.</ref> More money was also allocated to hospitals treating the mentally ill.<ref name="ReferenceN"/> In addition, a Sports Council was set up to improve facilities.<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_wphBQAAQBAJ&q=dennis+skinner+miners+swimming+pool+sports+council&pg=PT41|title=Sailing Close to the Wind|isbn=9781782061588|last1=Skinner|first1=Dennis|last2=Maguire|first2=Kevin|date=18 September 2014|publisher=Quercus |access-date=1 November 2020|archive-date=17 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417194151/https://books.google.com/books?id=_wphBQAAQBAJ&q=dennis+skinner+miners+swimming+pool+sports+council&pg=PT41|url-status=live}}</ref> Direct government expenditure on sports more than doubled from £0.9 million in 1964/65 to £2 million in 1967/68, while 11 regional Sports Councils had been set up by 1968. In Wales, five new health centres had been opened by 1968, whereas none had been opened from 1951 to 1964, while spending on health and welfare services in the region went up from £55.8 million in 1963/64 to £83.9 million in 1967/68.<ref name="Labour 1968"/>