Critical
Why the NHS Is Being Betrayed and How We Can Fight for It
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Critical
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Narrated by:
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Dr Julia Patterson
About this listen
The true, eye-opening account of how the NHS has been failed and what we can do to save it.
‘The NHS is an institution. But it’s also a political football, kicked back and forth between politicians for the past 75 years. It’s a burden to some and a potent vote-winner for others. It’s a construct, framed in the media. It’s a set of ideas and a logo. It’s a workplace for many and the birthplace of almost all of us. It’s become a valued part of our society, it is extraordinarily special – and it’s being destroyed.’
The NHS is at crisis point. In the 75 years since it was founded on the dream of making healthcare accessible to everyone, its principles have been chipped away at and disregarded by successive political leaders. The result: an underfunded, understaffed, exhausted workforce, a decimation of patient services and the infiltration of privatisation within our public healthcare system. We are now in danger of losing what we have come to depend upon: the NHS is collapsing and a two-tier healthcare system is emerging in its place. We can stop this, but only if we do it together.
In her first book, Dr Julia Grace Patterson, founder of EveryDoctor and fierce advocate for the future of the NHS, lays bare the truth about the current state of our healthcare system and sets forth transformational ideas on how we could save it. A book built on a love of the NHS at its heart, Critical is a must-listen for anyone who wants it to survive for another 75 years.
©2023 Dr. Julia Grace Patterson (P)2023 HarperCollins Publishers LimitedListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
‘Brilliant. Everyone who cares about the NHS should read this brilliant book’ – Peter Stefanovic
‘If you’re a campaigner for the NHS, this new book, Critical, is a must-read. And if you’re not a campaigner for the NHS, this new book, Critical, is a must-read. Be informed; be angry; fight.’ – Dominic Minghella
‘A fantastic read for anyone interested in what’s happening to our NHS’ – Jemma Forte
‘Recommended reading. Angry but not shouty, terrifically researched and written’ – Russ Jones
‘An incredibly important book about the demise of our NHS and what we must do to reverse the damage that’s being done to it. A sobering and important read. I can highly recommend it’ – Kit Yates
‘Exceptional … a must read’ – Grace Blakeley
‘Critical is a superb, concise, yet informative and passionate piece of work. It neatly outlines just why politicians and successive governments have vandalised and decimated our NHS. However, more importantly, it shows the reader that there is another way – and that there is also something still left to fight for.’ Canary
‘Julia Grace Patterson has written a book reminding us just why we need a well-funded, state-run NHS of the sort neither major political party in the UK now supports. She's right.’ Richard Murphy
What listeners say about Critical
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- market 17
- 17-08-23
An essential read.
An essential read to understand what is being done to the NHS. If you want to save it be aware of what this government and possibly the present Labour party are or will do in power. As stated at the end we must fight to get all private enterprises out of the NHS or it is lost.
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- BenAJN
- 05-07-23
Essential Reading. Seriously.
Critical is short, to the point and brutally clinical in its diagnosis of the biggest health crisis facing the UK today. The greed of politicians through austerity and outright theft has killed thousands upon thousands of people. It's time they're held to account.
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- Amazon Customer
- 30-06-23
Excellent
Written by a fierce and experienced defender of the NHS, this book will educate you on the main crises faced by the service and the solutions necessary to fix our beloved healthcare system on the eve of the NHS 75th birthday. Critical is insightful, honest, and deeply accessible to anyone interested in understanding how the NHS works and how's its being failed by this government. Five stars!
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- Oxana
- 27-10-24
Enlightening
This is a must listen to everyone who was, is and plans to works in NHS. It made me sad, explained a lot of things and provided hope. Every one of us can make change happen. There is no more time left to wait and no one else to do it but us.
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- Adam H
- 18-08-23
Brilliant book on the Tory destruction of the NHS
The author Julia Patterson does a great job explaining the 40-year privatisation of the NHS, and the recent destruction of the NHS by the Tories. She was an NHS doctor and is currently an NHS campaigner against privatisation, so has a large network of people in the NHS and so much experience and knowledge to draw on. I found most other books on the destruction of the NHS have been long, dry and not accessible. This book is different. I felt very emotional while listening to the stories she tells of those going without the care they need due to the lack of available funds and resources from the Tory government. I highly recommend it.
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- Rock Doc
- 28-06-23
Stark truth about the NHS underfunding
A passionate review of how successive governments, Labour and Tory, have failed the NHS and an assessment of the current crisis. Dr Patterson exposes how wages have fallen behind inflation, how buildings need £billions to be spent on basic maintenance and how overall spending has lagged behind comparable countries. This isn’t just Dr Patterson’s views but draws on the experience of her fellow doctors and on independent studies. Dr Patterson also argues that creeping privatisation isn’t the answer, it causes fragmentation of the service and a loss of skills from the NHS, and calls for bold funding of the NHS just as was done after WW2. The book is well narrated and is a call to action to save one of the core foundations of British society.
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- Fi
- 25-06-23
5 stars +++
Compelling & essential listening / reading. Deserves as wide an audience as possible. Thank you to the author for all her efforts to highlight & hopefully begin to reserve all the harm that has been done to the NHS by successive governments.
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- Bernard Howell
- 28-06-23
A Baby-boomer's assessment of the NHS.
This is a superb book. The content is excellent, the narration is also excellent. Doctor JGP is obviously not a professional actor, and her mellifluous tones convey complete conviction. I was born in 1951, in an NHS hospital. The NHS and I grew up together. All my childhood ailments were dealt with by our NHS GP. The NHS dentist sorted out my teeth, the NHS chiropodist removed my varuka and the NHS optician prescribed my first pair of spectacles. I took it all for granted because I had never known a time when there had been no NHS. The NHS is truly the jewel in our crown, and we must not allow it to be privatized by a bunch of rich Conservatives, who will never have had to use it.
I have lived outside the UK for the past 13 years and I no longer have automatic access to the NHS. I live in a country in which all medical treatment must be paid for up front. It is a very precarious and worrying situation. I still take an interest in my native country, and I was shocked by some of the revelations contained within this book. My initial reaction was anger and a determination to do whatever I am able, to save the NHS. From this point of view, the book is clearly a success and I congratulate the author on her clarity and passion.
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- suzy
- 20-07-23
Critical
This was written from the passion of service to help the broken wing that all humans go through one way or another from birth to death the government of the day who I call wicked tax doggers hate mob who used the public sector as their pin cushion to use and abuse by the rest of the gang the media for me no hard-working person should have to fight for their own money to work to live not live to work. During the pandemic clapping for NHS on a Tuesday was the norm however I never clapped once as I knew the culture of the UK they lift you then in the same breath they kick you down I knew it would just be time that the media/gov will blow the whistle to start the hate brigade. Thank you for writing the facts no one starts off being political not unless one op's into the chosen profession however we are all political every day of our lives from work/shopping/driving/housing etc This book shows right is right and it is time to stand up and b
be loud from the Criminals in Government Well done Dr. Julia Patterson Thank you
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- L. Beales
- 16-08-23
Decent book - mainly opinion based
An interesting book to listen to from the perspective of a psychiatrist doctor in the NHS. Lots of individual perspectives and myopic experiences. However, it is enlightening and useful and has definitely influenced my thinking around the NHS.
Thank you for taking the time to write it, and your continued campaigning.
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