Celebrating 75 years of the NHS

5 Jul 2023, 10 a.m.

Today marks 75 years of the NHS. In celebration we are looking back at some photos from our archive which span the last 75 years at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).

Black and white photo of Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) exterior

GOSH exterior in 1948

Black and white photo of a old GOSH ambulance

GOSH ambulance adapted to treat Gastro-Enteritis cases within a 20 mile radius of London, nicknamed the ‘Gastro-Enteritis Flying Squad’ in 1948

Black and white photo of GOSH staff and patients holding hands in a circle, dancing around a large cake

GOSH Centenary celebrations in 1952

A black and white photo of three donkeys

Three donkeys’ at Tadworth Court, Surrey, the former country branch of GOSH in the 1970s

Two images side by side. On the left, two nurses by an MRI scanner. On the right, Queen Elizabeth II is pictured observing the MRI scan data.

GOSH patron, Queen Elizabeth II, observed our first MRI scanner in action during one of her three visits to the hospital in 1977. Image credit: Central Press, Gough Square

GOSH nurses walking along side a red float with a wishing well on top. Crowds cheer as they walk by.

GOSH Charity Wishing Well appeal Firemen's float at the annual Lord Mayor’s Show in November 1987. The Wishing Well appeal raised an incredible £54 million – funding the redevelopment of the old and construction of much of the modern hospital. Image credit: Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity

Black and white photo of an operating theatre being set up with 7 members of GOSH staff

Cardiac surgery at GOSH in 1986

GOSH Chapel boxed up and surrounded by a construction site, with a hospital building in the background

GOSH chapel moved to its new location alongside the Variety Club Building, then still under construction in 1990. The chapel, built in 1875, was moved over the course of three days in one piece to the new hospital building. This was the first time such a task had been attempted in Britain with a brick or stone building.

King Charles and Queen Camilla, then Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall pictured meeting GOSH staff at a reception desk

King Charles and Queen Camilla, then Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall, visit the new Octav Botnar Wing at GOSH in 2007

Boat shaped reception desk and a shoal of colourful fishes drawn on the wall

GOSH reception re-opens with new design, including a ship-shaped reception desk and a shoal of colourful fishes drawn by GOSH patients in 2014

Top down view into a science laboratory with rows of lab benches.

The Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children opens in 2019. Here, pioneering research and world-leading clinical care are brought together to drive new tests, treatments and cures for children with rare and complex diseases from lab bench to bedside.

A large rainbow slide outside GOSH with the words 'Fresh Air Future'

GOSH becomes the first London hospital to declare a Climate and Health Emergency in 2021

Two ambulances parked outside a hospital. The ambulances read 'PeterPanbulance' with images of Pater Pan, Captain Hook and Tinkerbell.

A Peter Panbulance outside GOSH in 2022. These are the UK's first electric children's ambulance fleet.

GOSH main entrance with sunflowers and painted doors saying 'you are amazing'

GOSH main entrance in 2022

CGI image of a hospital bedroom with a bed, table, and a parent and child

CGI image of the planned new entrance of GOSH with it’s new Children’s Cancer Centre. The new centre will serve as a national resource for children with rare and difficult-to-treat cancers. Image Credit: SecchiSmith/ BDP

Reflecting on rare disease day 2025

Rare Disease Day is an international event which takes place annually on the last day of February. The date is chosen because in leap years it is February 29, the rarest date!

Surgeons mark 40 years since first conjoined twins separation

Two surgeons who led the first ever separation of conjoined twins at Great Ormond Street Hospital forty years ago have been reunited with their patient.

First-of-its-kind study will assess psychological impact of sudden cardiac death on children

Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) and University College London (UCL) will lead a pioneering study with the hope of revealing more about how best to help children who have experienced an unexpected and often traumatic loss in the family.

Incredible images showcase moments of discovery at GOSH

A surprising floral image helping researchers study Hirschsprung disease, a rare bowel disease in children, has been crowned the winner of the annual National Institute for Health and Care Research Great Ormond Street Hospital Biomedical Research Cent