Zero

Written well before the ex-Health Secretary had any inkling he would need to step in as Liz Truss’ replacement Chancellor, and featuring generous dollops of hindsight, this is a surprisingly insightful book. Hunt’s focus was on tackling the 150 ‘preventative deaths’ that disfigure the NHS every week. For anyone familiar with public engagement and consultation in the NHS, this is a poignant reminder of the relationship between individual care standards and the structure of the organisation. Worse was the appalling defensive culture and the deep-rooted propensity to find someone to blame which Hunt tried to remove - but only partly succeeded. Lots of great case studies marred only by reflecting that so much Ministerial effort led to such meagre results. Worth a read – but does not explain why no workforce plan emerged till 2023!