Patients First: How to Save the NHS

In Patients First, Leslie Turnberg, former President of the Royal College of Physicians, focuses on the needs of NHS patients and the staff who care for them. Shining a light on the many challenges facing the NHS and Primary and Social Care, and resisting any suggestion of yet another wholesale reorganisation, he pinpoints where and how to improve outcomes.

It is clear that the caring services must change and a patient-centred model – where a disillusioned workforce is brought back into satisfying and contented employment – should be the aim. Chapters on Social care and Primary Care come first, as so much in secondary care is dependent on them. Chapters on Public Health, Mental Health, and Maternity Care provide examples of where significant improvements may be gained. Further chapters on Trust in the NHS, Research, and Funding follow.

Patients First is a must-read for anyone interested in an NHS action plan for the future.

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Reviews

Lord Turnberg carefully takes the temperature of an ailing NHS. His life-saving prescription should be widely debated by all who care about our nation’s most vital institution. Lord Simon Stevens, former Chief Executive of NHS England

Leslie Turnberg’s passion for the NHS is palpable. He knows it has to adapt, reconnect with its workforce and integrate with social care. Sir David Dalton, Former CEO of Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust

Leslie Turnberg draws on his wide experience to examine the reality of providing health care in the current climate. He suggests several ways in which the NHS can move from despair to hope. Rebecca Myers. Visiting Professor, Health Systems Innovations Laboratory, London South Bank University

… has managed to distil not only the main issues but more importantly, the potential solutions …. His refreshing ability to listen to those working at the coal face makes this a book well-worth reading. Alexis Ingram. General Practitioner

… Brought his unique perspective and values into the book. I am sure people will read it with pleasure and be better for having done so. Baroness Kay Andrews, Chair, Select Committee on Social Care

An astonishing piece of work and a damned good read. Baroness Jill Pitkeathley, Vice President, Carers UK

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About the Author Leslie Turnberg was Professor of Medicine and Dean of the Medical School in Manchester before becoming President of the Royal College of Physicians in 1992. He led a review of London’s Health Services in 1997, was President of the Medical Protection Society, and was Chair of the Board of the Public Health Laboratory Service before entering the House of Lords in 2000. There, he speaks on health and social care.Leslie is also the author of a number of other books, including Forks in the Road, Beyond the Balfour Declaration, Mandate, and An Unreasonable Man.