Free For All

Britain's health service is in dire straits. Gavin Francis shows us how we can save it.Since its birth in 1948, the powers that be have chipped away at the NHS. Now, under threat from government underfunding and private medicine, cradle-to-grave may be fast approaching the end of its lifespan.In the wake of the pandemic, a 'new normal' took shape. UK healthcare professionals are forced to work with levels of staffing and support woefully short of what they have been trained to expect. Junior doctors are striking for the first time in almost ten years and practitioners are quitting in record numbers, burned out and chewed up.As the NHS has shifted into permanent crisis mode, chronic illnesses, cancer and other serious conditions get pushed down the list. Outpatient referrals have years-long waiting lists. Corners end up cut - and the cost, all too often, is human life.But for those who believe in the future of the NHS, all is not lost. This is painful but essential reading from the bestselling author of Recovery and Intensive Care.