Organising care around patients is not for the fainthearted. Naomi Chambers and Jeremy Taylors have curated twenty-five accounts from people who agreed to tell the story of what happened when they or their loved ones came into contact with the NHS. The authors defy you not to laugh or cry, or hold your breath in disbelief, at some point when reading this book.

In these true and compelling accounts, we learn the experiences – good and bad – of people grappling with birth and death, caring for loved ones, living with mental illness, coping with long-term conditions, and struggling in older age. This book is a call to action aimed at healthcare professionals, managers and politicians: a manifesto for more patient-centred care.

These stories show the NHS at its very best – and also when it falls significantly short. Patients or carers currently battling with the system will derive some hope and encouragement, and clues about what to expect, what to ask for, and from whom.

An electronic edition of this book is freely available under a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND) licence.