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

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
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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.

Read a sample here