Fighting for Life: The Twelve Battles that Made Our NHS, and the Struggle for Its Future

The author of "Why We Get the Wrong Politicians" explores the NHS's 75-year history through critical moments, including the COVID-19 crisis. The book is a gripping and provocative exploration of the NHS, told through the stories of its nurses, doctors, patients, and politicians.

Format: Hardback
Length: 384 pages
Publication date: 22 June 2023
Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

From the author of Why We Get the Wrong Politicians, a gripping, provocative exploration of the NHS, told through the most critical moments in its 75-year history. The book the NHS has always deserved.

Andrew Marr: Funny, intelligent, and so beautifully written. A much-needed book.

Chris van Tulleken: Brilliant.

Adam Kay: This is a brilliant book. It is essential reading for anyone who cares about our NHS and our country.

Since its foundation in 1948, the NHS has come to define our national identity; it even topped the "what makes Britain great" poll in 2022. It has made history (and the headlines) again and again - from cutting-edge discoveries like the first test tube baby, to its heroic response to the Coronavirus crisis. But the NHS has also become a battleground for some of the fiercest political contests of our time, perceived either as a national treasure or as a lumbering piece of state machinery in need of renovation.

In Fighting for Life, bestselling journalist Isabel Hardman cuts through the sentimentality and sloganeering on all sides of the political spectrum. Packed with gripping stories from the people at the beating heart of this venerated institution - its nurses, its doctors, its patients, and the politicians who decide its fate - this is the essential book for understanding our NHS, and who we are as a nation.

Weight: 602g
Dimension: 162 x 244 x 35 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780241504345