Review
"To miss this book would be to miss the acquaintance of a remarkable man. Insight and commitment fill every page." --The Lancet
"... [A] coherent alternative to the healthcare agenda promoted by all political parties! ... a short but hugely challenging book."
--Gut 2006, BMJ Group
Product Description
This is a passionate analysis of the historical development, current state and potential future shape of the National Health Service by distinguished doctor and author, Julian Tudor Hart. Drawing on many years of clinical experience, Tudor Hart sets out to explore how the NHS might be reconstituted as a humane service for all (rather than a profitable one for the few), and a civilising influence on society as a whole. His starting point is an attack on the creeping commercialisation of the health service - the privatisation of a growing number of spheres, and the application of market economics to procurement, delivery and management. Combining clinical, political and economic arguments, he then proposes his own economic analysis of the NHS, 'derived not from classical theory but from experience of the real health care economy'. The author's aim is to provide 'a big picture' for students, academics, health professionals and NHS users that will inspire them to challenge received wisdoms about how the NHS should develop in the twenty-first century.
From the Back Cover
The political economy of health care is a passionate analysis of
the historical development, current state and potential future shape of the
National Health Service (NHS) by distinguished doctor and author, Julian
Tudor Hart.
Drawing on many years of clinical experience, Tudor Hart sets out to
explore how the NHS might be reconstituted as a humane service for all
(rather than a profitable one for the few) and a civilising influence on
society as a whole.
His starting point is an attack on the creeping commercialisation of the
health service - the privatisation of a growing number of spheres and the
application of market economics to procurement, delivery and management.
Combining clinical, political and economic arguments, he then proposes his
own economic analysis of the NHS, 'derived not from classical theory but
from experience of the real health care economy'.
The author's aim is to provide a 'big picture' for students, academics,
health professionals and NHS users that will inspire them to challenge
received wisdoms about how the NHS should develop in the 21st century.
About the Author
Julian Tudor Hart was a GP in the Welsh mining village of Glyncorrwg for 30 years, where his epidemiological research and innovative organisation of community care won him an international reputation. He is the author of hundreds of articles in medical journals and past President of the Socialist Health Association.
