A new film compilation has been released by the North West Film Archive (NWFA) at Manchester Metropolitan University, showcasing historic healthcare practices in the region since the birth of the NHS 75 years ago this July.
Opening with views of Trafford General Hospital, the first ever NHS hospital in 1948, the film includes fascinating archive footage of new-born babies, physical education, and nurse training.
Moving scenes from children’s clinics in Stockport are included from the 1959 educational film This is Your Concern, showing babies being weighed and toddlers checked, while 1960s film Workington Emergency Dial 999 shows a casualty being treated and recovering in hospital.
From the film The Burnley School of Nursing made in 1963, we see footage of nurses on the wards and in their lodgings. Manchester Met itself is even represented in the form of a student from the former Elizabeth Gaskell College in 1970 on placement on the wards of Hope Hospital, Salford.
Geoff Senior, Access Co-ordinator at NWFA, said: “We’re pleased to be able to share some of our historic footage celebrating the 75th anniversary of the NHS, and the hard work and dedication of its staff in the North West over the decades.
“From the first NHS hospital at Trafford General in 1948 to today, it’s clear that the NHS is there for all the people of the region.”
Part of Manchester Met, the North West Film Archive (NWFA) is based within Manchester Central Library Archives+ partnership and is a specialist resource dedicated to saving and growing the region’s rich filmed history.
From historical footage and home movies to newsreels and adverts, the NWFA preserves and shares over 50,000 items of film and video, for public, educational, and professional use.
Manchester Met’s links with the NHS have gone from strength to strength since its first student placements several decades ago. Now providing students for placements in 41 NHS trusts, the University trains over 350 nurses a year and has offered 4,330 distinct placements to students in healthcare disciplines such as physiotherapy, speech and language therapy and nursing.
