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BMJ 1995; 311 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.311.7017.1443 (Published 25 November 1995) Cite this as: BMJ 1995;311:1443
  1. Sandy Cavenagh, retired general practitioner in Brecon
  1. Brecon

    Afew weeks ago I acted as a locum staff grade doctor in the care of the elderly department in Tredegar General Hospital. Cottage/general practitioner/community hospitals have been an important part of my life for 20 years and I have visited a hundred or so of the 420 in Britain, including several in the Welsh valleys, but never Tredegar. Anyone alive in 1948 treats the place with a certain amount of awe, for it was here that Aneurin Bevan's convictions on how health care should be provided were formed, and for 30 years he was member of parliament for the industrial constituency of nearby Ebbw Vale. Like most of its fellows the hospital has grown and adapted to changing circumstances. Marble tablets in the hall record the prowess and long service of early medical and nursing staff, and the Aneurin Bevan Health Centre, built 12 years ago, has transformed its size and function. Here an enlarged Karsh portrait of the man himself greets you in the hall, and you are immediately aware of the efficient and dedicated staff in a hospital of which he would indeed …

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