The National Health

The National Health is a 1973 British black comedy film directed by Jack Gold and starring Lynn Redgrave, Colin Blakely and Eleanor Bron. It is based on the play The National Health by Peter Nichols, in which the staff struggle to cope in a NHS hospital. The film satirically interweaves the story of the real hospital with a fantasy hospital which exists in a soap-opera world where all the equipment is new and patients are miraculously cured – although the only "patients" seen are doctors or nurses who are themselves part of the soap opera plots. In the real hospital, the patients die while the out-of-touch administrators focus on impressing foreign visitors. Plot Overworked doctors and nurses do their best to cope in a depressing and poorly-equipped National Health Service hospital. Cast Lynn Redgrave as Nurse Sweet / Nurse Betty Martin Colin Blakely as Edward Loach Eleanor Bron as Sister McFee / Sister Mary MacArthur Donald Sinden as Mr. Carr / Senior Surgeon Boyd Jim Dale as Mr. Barnet / Dr. Neil Boyd Sheila Scott Wilkinson as Nurse Powell / Staff Nurse Cleo Norton Neville Aurelius as Leyland / Monk Gillian Barge as Dr. Bird George Browne as The Chaplain Patience Collier as The Lady Visitor Jumoke Debayo as Nurse Lake Robert Gillespie as Tyler John Hamill as Kenny Don Hawkins as Les James Hazeldine as Student Doctor Bob Hoskins as Desmond Foster David Hutcheson as Mr Mackie Mervyn Johns as Doctor Rees Bert Palmer as Mr Flagg Maureen Pryor as The Matron Richie Stewart as Mortuary Attendant Clive Swift as Mervyn Ash Graham Weston as Michael