Free For All: Why The NHS Is Worth Saving

(Paperback, Main)

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Britain's health service is dying. Gavin Francis shows us why we should fight for it.

Since its birth in 1948, the powers that be have chipped away at the NHS. Now, Britain's best-loved institution is under greater threat than ever, besieged by a deadly combination of underfunding, understaffing and the predatory private sector.

In the wake of the pandemic, we have come to accept a 'new normal' of permanent crisis and years-long waiting lists. But, as Gavin Francis reveals in this short, vital book- it doesn't have to be this way, and until recently, it wasn't. Drawing on the history of the NHS as well as his own experience as a GP, he introduces us to the inner workings of an institution that has never been perfect but which transformed the lives and health of millions, for free - and which has never been more important.

For those who believe in the future of the NHS and its founding principles, this is essential reading from the bestselling author of Recovery and Intensive Care.

Reviews

'Timely, thought-provoking and eloquent... brimming both with warmth and insight, he puts himself among the ranks of physicians with fine pens, including Oliver Sacks and Atul Gawande' - Janice Turner

'Praise for Gavin Francis's previous books:

'I cannot think of anybody - patient or doctor - who will not be helped by reading this short and profound book' - Henry Marsh, author of Do No Harm

'Wonderful' - Anil Seth, author of Being You

'Filled with compassion and warmth, the book provides both insight and succour' - Iain Critchley

'Such a wise, gentle, quietly hopeful book. Exactly what I needed' - Rachel Clarke, author of Breathtaking and Your Life in My Hands

Author Bio

Dr Gavin Francis has worked across four continents as a surgeon, emergency physician, medical officer with the British Antarctic Survey and latterly as a GP. He's the author of the Sunday Times bestselling Adventures in Human Being and Recovery, as well as Shapeshifters, and Intensive Care. He also writes for the Guardian, The Times, the London Review of Books and Granta.