Policy Navigator Explore all the significant developments in health and social care reform in England

Our new updated Policy Navigator website is a tool for policy makers, researchers and enthusiasts to understand how our current health and social care policy landscape has developed, and to learn from the past.

It charts some of the major policies and related developments in health and care from the emergence of the first hospitals in England in the 11th century right up to modern day. The focus is on domestic policy rather than international developments, and primarily covers England rather than the devolved administrations.

We have grouped developments by three themes (NHS reform, adult social care and public health) and ordered the content chronologically. You can also filter entries by time periods. The first time period covers historical context (pre-1948) and the second covers the first three decades following the creation of the NHS in 1948. From May 1979 onwards – when Margaret Thatcher came to power – time periods cover the tenures of different prime ministers.

We will be aiming to update the website regularly, but maintaining a lag between events and the update, to give the benefit of hindsight about the relevancy of different developments.

Contact the Policy Navigator team

Please email Lucinda Allen from the Health Foundation's Policy team if you have any questions or comments about the Policy Navigator site, particularly if you think anything is missing, incorrect, out of date, or could be improved.