John Tomley (3 February 1874-14 June 1951),was an active member of many bodies associated with public health and insurance, e.g., a member of the governors, council and various committees of the Welsh National Memorial Association which was concerned with the prevention, treatment and abolition of tuberculosis.Working from his office in Arthur Street in Montgomery, he went on to produce a report that included recommendations for improved health care and insurance based on his pioneering statistical analysis of the TB crisis in poverty-stricken communities in Wales.He later went on to become the president of the National Conference of Friendly Societies in the late 1930s. John was able to demonstrate how medical insurance organised by friendly societies, such as the Manchester based Oddfellows, provided a blueprint for health insurance on a national scale.
Throughout WWII and postwar, John advised the Government and even drafted parts of the legislation that brought the NHS into being on July 5 1948.He was the son of Robert Tomley and Esther (née Weaver). He was educated at Montgomery and Shrewsbury; he worked as a solicitor in the local firm of Pryce, Tomley and Pryce.He served as clerk to numerous public administrative bodies in Montgomeryshire and Shropshire.He married, 7 May 1902, Edith Florence Soley and had one son and two daughters.Before the NHS, British healthcare was unevenly distributed throughout the country,blending private, public and voluntary provision.The local state provided institutional care through the Poor Law, though mostly in low-quality, stigmatising workhouses.Primary care was partly commercial and partly accessed through friendly societies, a form of sickness insurance rooted in working-class culture. Change came first in 1911, when the foundations of the welfare state were laid. Borrowing from Bismarck’s model, National Health Insurance (NHI) legislation scaled up friendly society sickness cover, making it compulsory for manual labourers.The 5 giants on the road of reconstruction were identified as Want,Disease, Ignorance, Squalor and Idleness.

An absolutely fascinating account of the lead-up to what became the NHS. I'd studied the Bevridge report, and Nye Bevan at college. Yet don't remember learning about what led to those.

There was a lot of information, and at times I forgot who some people were (or how they were related) but the overall message of the book stayed strong.

I hope we can learn from the past and remember again how important it is to tackle 'the five giants", and that we can maintain the NHS and return it to its former glory.

Contrary to the common belief that the NHS (National Health Service) was conceptualized by Nye Bevan in 1945, the roots of experiments with a national health service and welfare state traced back several years prior.

Inspired by a doctor who coined the term "national health service" in 1910, John Tomley and David Davies took the initiative to pilot the first-ever national health service, focusing on combating tuberculosis (TB) in Wales through the WNMA (Welsh National Memorial Association). John, who served as a local health commissioner and was a UK leader of the largest health service providers, the Friendly Societies, actively campaigned for effective TB treatment, emphasizing prevention and the establishment of a national health service.

John's successful leadership in the campaign for the Welsh TB Inquiry directly contributed to the Beveridge Report and the subsequent founding of the NHS and a broader welfare state in 1948. Sadly, John's family overlooked his contributions due to the impact of a genetic disease, leaving his story untold. Remarkably, the NHS, a product of John's efforts, played a role in finding a cure for this disease for his great-great-granddaughter.

The unexpected moral of this narrative is the empowerment it provides. John's story suggests that anyone can make a significant impact. Armed with what John described as "golden keys," the crucial information derived from his life's work emphasizes the importance of collectively addressing all the Five Giants outlined in the Beveridge Report. By comprehending this wisdom, we hold the means to confront the social determinants of health in our era, effecting positive change for current and future generations.

The E-Book could be improved and more user-friendly, such as links to the chapters, no significant gaps between words and a cover for the book would be better. It is very document-like instead of a book. A star has been deducted because of this.

This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and I would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

The First NHS, by Emma Snow, looks at the development of organizations and measures to promote public supported Health Care in the UK, and specifically in Wales before the development of the NHS. The one aspect that draws my attention is the wealth of details of the subtle means, by which "radical administration" sought to build a comprehensive medical coverage. The mere success of this program was the basis for the NHS. The work done, in simple steps producing a radically new way of seeing healthcare and community development.

What Snow does, is tear down the historical narrative that reduces what happened to but a few events. This work is not only readable but comes up with a good argument to support the methods used. Those methods of using administrative subtitles to create profound change is compelling. The history itself is a great testament to how the success of the NHS was grounded. I highly recommend this book, not only as an exemplary history, and but also as a very useful narrative that may prove helpful to us in the development of progressive struggles that are present today.

I thought as an exNHS practice manager I would enjoy this book. Sadly, I did not. It reads as though the author has all Tomley’s diaries in front of her and is reprocessing them. Anyone studying the origins of the NHS or Welsh history might use this as a text book to provide background to a thesis. I don’t think it works otherwise. I appreciate the effort put in to produce the book but I’m afraid it didn’t grab me. Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for a prepublication ebook.