This is the most substantial account of the NHS since its inception - what has happened from 1948 on and why, rather than what people think will happen. A reviewer described it as "an epic story full of drama, tragedy, intrigue and many instances of humour."  Devolution has created major differences between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland and the latter three countries are not specifically considered; neither do I stray into social services, dentistry or research. . My first book on the London Hospital System which starts in 1823 covers steps leading to the creation of the NHS better. The original hard copy published version covers the first 50 years but the web version continues to the present date, the text is updated at least weekly and is used nationally and internationally as a teaching resource by degree programmes in health sciences.  The website is archived by the UK Web Archive (by managed by the British Library/Wellcome).

Internet has the advantage that it is possible to link references to key papers and reports, for example the Cogwheel report of 1967. Some are on this server, others are external.  Sadly people frequently delete reports or change the web addresses.

Now 12 years old, the book is hard to obtain, but try Amazon or Abebooks, ISBN 1 85717 148 9 or you may be able to borrow it from your library.  If you want a copy of the website as a CD Rom email me - it will cost £12.  The CD Rom also includes my first book on the London Hospital System, now out of print.  It is also now possible to self-publish books using Kindle, and as this format is increasingly popular, I am experimenting with it.  I have produced a Kindle edition of the Development of the London Hospital System, but I am still learning the system, have not got the illustrations to display yet, and indexing is primitive.  The Kindle folks are helpful in teaching me.  A better version will be published in due course and the web version is currently preferable.