Delve deeper into the history of the NHS with these further reading suggestions, recommended by our shop team.
How The Black Death Gave Us The NHS (Jamie Breitmauer)
Breitmauer explores epidemics and pandemics through the ages, also looking at how the NHS has benefitted British society and the healthcare systems of countries across the globe.
Our Stories: 75 Years of the NHS from the People who Built it, Lived it and Loved it
Our Stories is a beautiful and heart-warming collection of tales of the rich history of the NHS, told through the ordinary people who have experienced it and who have turned it into the beating heart of our country.
The NHS: Britain’s National Health Service, 1948-2020 (Susan Cohen)
This book is a beautifully illustrated history of the NHS charting its evolution over time, from its establishment after the Second World War right up to the COVID-19 crisis.
It includes personal recollections from healthcare professionals on the frontline and from the patients themselves, in their care.
The NHS at 70: A Living History (Ellen Welch)
In 1948, the National Health Service was born with the founding principal to be free at the point of use. This book traces the history of our health service from Victorian healthcare in the early 20th century, comparing the problems and illnesses of 1948 to those we face today and the sustainability of the NHS as it stands now.
Our NHS: A History of Britain’s Best Loved Institutions (Andrew Seaton)
An engaging, inclusive history of the NHS, exploring its surprising survival – and the people who have kept it running in the face of ideological opposition, marketization, and workforce crises.
Andrew Seaton traces how the service has changed and adapted, bringing together the experiences of patients, staff from Britain and abroad, and the service’s wider supporters and opponents. He explains not only why it survived the neoliberalism of the late twentieth century but also how it became a key marker of national identity.
A History of Nursing (Louise Wyatt)
A History of Nursing explores nursing from the earliest records of the caring profession, from Mother Nature to the influence of ancient scripts and folklore on the nursing we see today. The book also explores the effect the military had on nursing in the nineteenth century; how nursing turned from religious principles to secular nursing, and how education and standards improved the safety, development and governance of the profession.
Fighting for Life: The Twelve Battles (Isabel Hardman)
In its 75th year, the National Health Service is arguably facing its most challenging battles yet.
In Fighting for Life, award-winning journalist Isabel Hardman tells the gripping story of a beloved institution. Drawing on interviews from former prime ministers and NHS bosses to the patients and keyworkers at the heart of the health service, this book reveals a chequered history that aims to shows us how our NHS really works.