'NHS Now ... Towards the Future' is a major in-depth photo-documentary study of the NHS in its fiftieth year. Seven distinct photo essays, each on a key area of health provision within the NHS, aim to show the lives and works of a wide cross section of medical professionals and their patients. The essay subjects are also intended to strike a chord amongst the public - most people will have experienced one or more of the situations photographed.

'NHS Now ... Towards the Future' has been made possible by Network Photographers, Britain's foremost agency of documentary photography. The photo essays will be taken by separate photographers, each of whom were born under the NHS.

The essays and their respective photographers are:

1. The Country Doctor - Barry Lewis
2. An Inner-City Primary Health Care Team - Mike Abrahams
3. Cancer Treatment - Roger Hutchings
4. Midwifery/Obstetrics - Mike Goldwater
5. An A&E Unit - Harriet Logan
6. The Care of the Elderly - Jonathan Olley
7. Mental Health :Mark Power

Between May and December, the exhibition will be visiting venues around the country:

Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham: May 6 - 22
The Urdd National Eisteddfod, Pwllheli: May 25 - 30
Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge: June 2 - 14
Andover War Memorial Hospital, Andover: June 17 - 28
NHS Confederation Conference, London: July 1 - 3
Trafford General Hospital, Manchester: July 5 - 22
Northern General Hospital, Sheffield: July 25 - August 13
University Hospital Wales, Cardiff: August 16 - September 2
Royal Sussex Hospital, Brighton: September 5 - 23
St Thomas' Hospital, London: September 26 - October 13
Antrim Hospital, Antrim: October 17 - November 1
Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Edinburgh: November 5 - 18
Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle: November 21 - December 6
Thackray Medical Museum, Leeds: December 9 - January 3, 1999

A selection of the images will play an important part in helping NHS organisations mark the anniversary locally. Glaxo Wellcome has sponsored the production of special 'NHS Now ... Towards the Future' poster packs.

The images from 'NHS Now ... Towards the Future' will also feature in other activities around the 50th anniversary, including the NHS50 web site and special publications.

For further information contact: Philip Jepson, NHS Executive. Tel: 0113 254 5655