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In this committed and compassionate book, Phil Hammond – a doctor, journalist, campaigner and patient – argues for a bidet revolution in the NHS – from the bottom up, with patients leading the charge. What we can do for ourselves to live well often far outweighs what modern medicine and the NHS can do for us. And when we do need to use the NHS, getting involved, speaking up and sharing our expertise can improve not just our care, but the care of others. We won’t always succeed, but we can learn from failure as we try to get the best care possible in our precious and precarious health service.
Dr Phil shares his own experiences of working in and investigating the NHS for 30 years, and combines it with the testimony and tactics of inspirational patients and carers. Some have survived and thrived in the NHS, some are planning a gentle death at home, and some have suffered greatly but are determined to improve the NHS so others don’t have to.
Dr Phil shares his own experiences of working in and investigating the NHS for 30 years, and combines it with the testimony and tactics of inspirational patients and carers. Some have survived and thrived in the NHS, some are planning a gentle death at home, and some have suffered greatly but are determined to improve the NHS so others don’t have to.
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Reviews
Want to get the best from the NHS? How many strong, independent adults turn to shy, tongue-tied patients, and don't ask questions for fear of seeming presumptuous. I did when my kids were ill - and I'm a doctor! Now Dr Phil Hammond has written a fabulous practical guide in his book Staying Alive - how to get the best from the NHS. Like me, he loves the NHS - but he knows we all need some help to navigate our way through it.
If you use the NHS (i.e. all of you), you MUST read this book. If you're a doctor you NEED to read this book. If you're an NHS manager this book is VITAL.
This is a fantastic book about how to live well. Phil Hammond's goes beyond the usual tips about diet and exercise - we hear about the power of positive thinking, as well as how to get the best out of the health service. And this book is packed with real stories - from people who have become survival experts through their own experiences. Their stories are heartwarming, enlightening and useful. Phil Hammond has a knack of being brutally honest and very funny at the same time. This is quite simply the most useful book about health and the health service that I've ever read.