NHS plc
NHS plc

Author: Allyson M. Pollock

Publisher: Verso Books

Published: 2020-05-05

Total Pages: 263

ISBN-13: 1789602076

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Universal, comprehensive health care, equally available to all and disconnected from income and the ability to pay, was the goal of the founders of the National Health Service. This book, by one of the NHS's most eloquent and passionate defenders, tells the story of how that ideal has been progressively eroded, and how the clock is being turned back to pre-NHS days, when health care was a commodity, fully available only to those with money. How this has come about-to the point where even the shrinking core of free NHS hospital services is being handed over to private providers at the taxpayers' expense-is still not widely understood, hidden behind slogans like "care in the community," "diversity" and "local ownership." Allyson Pollock demystifies these terms, and in doing so presents a clear and powerful analysis of the transition from a comprehensive and universal service to New Labour's "mixed economy of health care," in which hospitals with foundation status, loosely supervised by an independent regulator, will be run on largely market principles. The NHS remains popular, Pollock argues, precisely because it created the "freedom from fear" that its founders promised, and because its integrated, non-commercial character meant low costs and good medical practice. Restoring these values in today's health service has become an urgent necessity, and this book will be a key resource for everyone wishing to to bring this about.

NHS SOS
NHS SOS

Author: Raymond Tallis

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2013-07-01

Total Pages: 287

ISBN-13: 1780743297

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An exposé of the back-door deals and negligence that threaten to destroy the NHS – and a 10-step manifesto for saving it The Coalition Government passed into law an unprecedented assault on the NHS. Doctors, unions, the media, even politicians who claimed to be stalwart defenders failed to protect it. Now the effect of those devastating reforms are beginning to be felt by patients – but we can still save our country’s most valued institution if we take lessons from this terrible betrayal and act on them. Contributors to this eye-opening dissection include Dr Jacky Davis, Oliver Huitson, Dr John Lister, Stewart Player, Prof. Allyson Pollock, David Price, Prof. Raymond Tallis, Dr Charled West and Dr David Wrigley. Proceeds from the profits of this book will go to Keep Our NHS Public (www.keepournhspublic.com).

Our NHS
Our NHS

Author: Andrew Seaton

Publisher: Yale University Press

Published: 2023-01-01

Total Pages: 401

ISBN-13: 0300268270

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An engaging, inclusive history of the NHS, exploring its surprising survival--and the people who have kept it running In recent decades, a wave of appreciation for the NHS has swept across the UK. Britons have clapped for frontline workers and championed the service as a distinctive national achievement. All this has happened in the face of ideological opposition, marketization, and workforce crises. But how did the NHS become what it is today? In this wide-ranging history, Andrew Seaton examines the full story of the NHS. He traces how the service has changed and adapted, bringing together the experiences of patients, staff from Britain and abroad, and the service's wider supporters and opponents. He explains not only why it survived the neoliberalism of the late twentieth century but also how it became a key marker of national identity. Seaton emphasizes the resilience of the NHS--perpetually "in crisis" and yet perennially enduring--as well as the political values it embodies and the work of those who have tirelessly kept it afloat.

How to Dismantle the NHS in 10 Easy Steps
How to Dismantle the NHS in 10 Easy Steps

Author: Youssef El-Gingihy

Publisher: John Hunt Publishing

Published: 2018-11-30

Total Pages: 139

ISBN-13: 1789041791

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Events have spiralled since the first edition of How to Dismantle the NHS in 10 Easy Steps. The junior doctors' strike, the Conservative victory in the 2015 general election, the Corbyn phenomenon, the unexpected Brexit vote and the arguably even more unexpected loss of the Conservative majority in 2017. Further, since writing the first edition, Dr. Youssef El-Gingihy found himself stricken with a life-threatening illness and the NHS doctor became the NHS patient. The fight to save the NHS transformed into a fight for his own life. Now, fully recovered, Dr. Youssef El-Gingihy returns to his 10 Easy Steps in order to strengthen his original argument and continue what Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, deems 'one of the most fundamental battles we face in a struggle for a British society that works for the many'. In the year of the 70th anniversary of the NHS, Dr El-Gingihy's insights have never been more vital as our national health service continues to be hit by the privatisation of public services. New expanded second edition with chapters on junior doctor's strikes and plans for US-style healthcare.

The State of Medicine
The State of Medicine

Author: Margaret McCartney

Publisher:

Published: 2016-09-12

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781780664002

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The NHS is 'the closest thing the UK has to a national religion'. No wonder: it has worked secular miracles. Before the NHS, sick children could not see a doctor before a sixpence was handed over. People died of whooping cough and tuberculosis, illnesses we now scarcely see. When the NHS was founded, almost 70 years ago, people in the UK lived less than 50 years on average - a lifespan which has almost doubled. No matter how poor we are, our health care is included with British citizenship. But the NHS has also been accused of high death rates, lazy and uncaring staff, dirty hospitals and unbridgeable funding gaps. Every politician claims to know how to save the NHS. Margaret McCartney argues differently. She believes that the NHS is world class: but politicians have to stop micromanaging based on faith in their own political beliefs and instead base decisions on evidence. Patients and professionals working together to deliver an evidence-based NHS is the only future - if we want our NHS to survive.

The NHS
The NHS

Author: Ellen Welch

Publisher: Pen and Sword History

Published: 2021-01-13

Total Pages: 260

ISBN-13: 1399000829

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A history of Britain’s healthcare system, from the Victorian era to the post-World War II beginnings of the NHS to the Coronavirus pandemic. The Coronavirus pandemic in 2020 has changed life as we know it and thrust the NHS into the spotlight. A nation in lockdown has adorned windows with rainbows and stepped onto doorsteps every Thursday to celebrate the people who are risking their lives by turning up to work. But as the grim reports of deaths from the disease cumulate, along with stories of insufficient protective equipment for staff, there is hope that the crisis will raise awareness and bring change to the way the NHS and its people are treated. At midnight on 5 July 1948, the National Health Service was born with the founding principal to be free at the point of use and based on clinical need rather than on a person’s ability to pay. Over seventy years since its formation, these core principals still hold true, but the world has changed. Persistent underfunding has not kept pace with increased demand for healthcare, leading to longer waiting times, staffing shortages and low morale. This book traces the history of our health service, from Victorian healthcare and the early 20th century, through a timeline of change to the current day, comparing the problems and illnesses of 1948 to those we face today. Politics and funding are demystified and the effects of the pandemic are discussed, alongside personal stories from frontline staff and patients who have experienced our changing NHS. “Ellen's book takes us on an emotional journey through the history of our beloved NHS. This should be compulsory reading for anyone who thinks the NHS is safe in the hands of anyone but the Labour Party. Absolutely enthralling.” —Books Monthly

God Bless the NHS
God Bless the NHS

Author: Roger Taylor

Publisher: Faber & Faber

Published: 2013-03-15

Total Pages: 160

ISBN-13: 057130365X

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The National Health Service, described by Nigel Lawson as Britain's only 'national religion', has never been more popular. So why is the government so desperate to reform it? Last year, the Office of National Statistics reported higher public satisfaction with the NHS than at any time since its foundation. In a 2012 survey of developed countries, the UK showed the highest public support of its health system. Politicians can hardly be surprised then, when their plans to reforms are met with public dismay and professional fury. This year has seen one of the most bruising political battles ever fought over the future of the NHS. The twenty-two month fight to push the NHS and Social Care Act through parliament prompted the most widespread political campaign by doctors since Aneurin Bevan established the NHS in 1948. It cost the coalition government dearly and shredded the reputation of the Secretary of State for Health. So why did they do it? God Bless the NHS looks at the ideology behind the current reforms and the reasons why the government decided to take on the nation's most treasured institution. Roger Taylor looks equivocally at those who support and oppose the new system, and at the patchy history of attempts to reform the NHS and the likelihood of the success this time round. Finally, it addresses the political failure at the heart of the problem and the inevitable conflict when politics and medicine mix.

Universal Healthcare without the NHS: Towards a Patient-Centred Health System
Universal Healthcare without the NHS: Towards a Patient-Centred Health System

Author: Kristian Niemietz

Publisher: London Publishing Partnership

Published: 2016-12-07

Total Pages: 176

ISBN-13: 0255367384

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The National Health Service remains the sacred cow of British politics – any criticism is considered beyond the pale, guaranteed to trigger angry responses and accusations of bad faith. This book argues that the NHS should not be insulated from reasoned debate. In terms of health outcomes, it is one of the worst systems in the developed world, well behind those of other high-income countries. The NHS does achieve universal access to healthcare, but so do the health systems in every other developed country (with the exception of the US). Britain is far from being the only country where access to healthcare does not depend on an individual’s ability to pay. Author Kristian Niemietz draws on a wealth of international evidence to develop a vision for a universal healthcare system based on consumer sovereignty, freedom of choice, competition and pluralism. His roadmap for reform charts a path from the status quo to a more desirable and effective alternative.

A Guide to the NHS
A Guide to the NHS

Author: Tony White

Publisher: CRC Press

Published: 2018-05-08

Total Pages: 198

ISBN-13: 1315357615

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To maximise the effectiveness of their work, NHS employees need a clear understanding of the structures and systems of the organisation in which they work. However, this information can be widely spread, hard to access and difficult to gain a working overview of, and the pace of changes and initiatives can seem almost dizzying. This book draws together a clear picture of the modern NHS, from funding and governance to reports, inquiries and overarching legislation. The book is clear and easy to understand and crucially includes full references to provide a one-stop point of access to the most detailed and up-to-date information available. This book is essential reading for workers in the NHS at all levels, including managers, administrators and clinical professionals. It is vital reading for managers and staff at commercial companies working with the NHS. It will also be of interest to campaigners, patient interest groups, researchers and journalists with an interest in the NHS. Specialty registrars and consultants can also find the information from the book, and much more, in The Doctor's Handbook Parts 1 & 2, by the same author. 'Rather than long narrative histories or complex explanations, the author signposts readers to sources of further information, making this book the quick guide so many of us need' - from the Foreword by Sir Ian Carruthers

Understanding the NHS
Understanding the NHS

Author: Andy Stein

Publisher: White Owl

Published: 2022-07-28

Total Pages: 242

ISBN-13: 1399007998

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The NHS is more than a good idea. It is beautiful. And it is you. The importance of the NHS – and the public’s affection for it – cannot be overstated, as seen through the COVID-19 pandemic. The author and his family of medics have lived and breathed the NHS, from before 1948, its birth and its history to date. But this book is for people who do not come from this medical background and do not have this life experience. Thus there are three target audiences. Firstly, it can contribute to A level study of the NHS, and career advice for 6th form students who are applying to university for a degree in healthcare. Secondly, it will educate health and social care professionals in training and in their early years. So they can start with the knowledge that the author had when he went to university in 1979. Thirdly, the book is for everyone else, who want to know how it all fits together, and in this way, improve their healthcare, and that of their family.