The NHS - The Story so Far

By Ellen Welch

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 moral.

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.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Pen and Sword
• Release date: Jan 13, 2021
• ISBN: 9781399000826

Ellen Welch

Ellen Welch works as both an NHS GP in West London and a Cruise Ship Doctor. She has worked in various roles both within the NHS and around the world over the last ten years including work as a ski field doctor in New Zealand and an expedition medic in Tanzania. She has won awards at both the BMA and MJA annual awards for her previous publications. Her work on cruise ships in particular has given her a fresh appreciation for the NHS.