The NHS is more than a good idea. It is beautiful. And it is you. The importance of the NHS – and the public’s affection for it – cannot be overstated, as seen through the COVID-19 pandemic. The author and his family of medics have lived and breathed the NHS, from before 1948, its birth and its history to date.

But this book is for people who do not come from this medical background and do not have this life experience. Thus there are three target audiences. Firstly, it can contribute to A level study of the NHS, and career advice for 6th form students who are applying to university for a degree in healthcare. Secondly, it will educate health and social care professionals in training and in their early years. So they can start with the knowledge that the author had when he went to university in 1979. Thirdly, the book is for everyone else, who want to know how it all fits together, and in this way, improve their healthcare, and that of their family.