Evacuation: prelude to patient participation

Operation Pied Piper was the unfortunate name given to the wartime evacuation scheme which has been the focus of my research over the last 20 years. Throughout this period testimony, both oral and written, has been collected from evacuees during the Second World War, revealing much about the provision of healthcare/welfare just prior to the introduction of the NHS.

It is generally agreed that the war acted as the catalyst for a comprehensive healthcare system providing accessible care ‘from the cradle to the grave’.

My research led to a number of publications which indicated that some evacuees’ memories, of what is nowadays perceived as new, actually occurred including a sense of involvement with the professionals caring for them.