Voluntary Failure, the Middle Classes, and the Nationalisation of the British Voluntary Hospitals, 1900–1946

Voluntary hospitals began to be set up in Britain in the mid-1700s. They were to have a long and distinguished history, with their achievements recognised even by those who were not their most committed supporters. The period between 1861 and 1938 was a time of particularly rapid expansion. From the former date to 1891, bed numbers in Britain doubled to 35,500; by the latter date they had tripled to 101,3001 provided in 1200 voluntary hospitals.2 In some areas (e.g., Norfolk) they remained the only form of secondary health care in the prewar period.3