Following a lengthy national debate, the Act created a national system of insurance to protect working people against loss of income relating to sickness or unemployment.
The 1918 influenza pandemic was caused by direct transmission of avian influenza to humans. It killed an estimated 50 million people worldwide in the aftermath of the First World War.
This Act established the Ministry of Health, which became responsible for 'the preparation, effective carrying out and co-ordination of measures conducive to the health of the people'.
The report outlined the structure that the NHS would take nearly 30 years later and illustrated that the system would need to change to cope with technological and medical advances.
This Act consolidated local government structures and reformed Poor Law administration, with local authorities becoming responsible for Poor Law hospitals.
A Ministry of Health circular permitted local health authorities to provide birth control advice under circumstances where pregnancy would be detrimental to health.
