National Health Stories

Apr 11, 2025 6:20 PM

Author:Sally Sheard,Sally Sheard

Medical historian Sally Sheard reveals the heroic characters and incredible innovations that have shaped our NHS.

On 5 July 1948, for the first time anywhere in the world, healthcare in Britain became free for all. Sally Sheard looks at the highs and lows that followed the launch of the National Health Service - and describes what life was like before it. Drawing on unique archive recordings of staff, patients and politicians, including visionary NHS founders William Beveridge and Aneurin Bevan, she tells the stories behind 20 key moments in the history of the NHS.

Beginning in the 1930s, when treatments were basic and access to healthcare was determined by your ability to pay, she examines how pioneering individuals, and emergency wartime medical provision, combined to pave the way for the NHS. But funding was a problem from the start, and an epidemic of lung cancer in the 1950s forced the service to acknowledge its responsibility to not just treat disease, but prevent it.

Yet alongside the challenges came great achievements, such as the introduction of the contraceptive pill; the birth of the first IVF baby; and the successful public health campaign to halt the spread of AIDS. We hear accounts of unsung heroes and heroines such as John Charnley, inventor of the first artificial hip; Barbara Robb, who triggered a nationwide investigation into the care of the mentally ill; and Cecily Saunders, whose 'modern hospice' movement forced the NHS to care for the dying.

Tackling topics such as the role of nurses, the fight against MRSA and why health ministers rarely learn from history, this landmark series explores every aspect of the NHS, from its beginnings to the present day. Fascinating, surprising and provocative, it shines new light on Britain's best-loved institution, showing how the NHS has revolutionised the nation's health and saved lives.

Also included is Healthy Visions, a bonus 75-minutes series in which five experts set out their ideas for the future of public health in Britain.

Presented by Sally Sheard

Produced by Beth Eastwood and Deborah Cohen

Music composed and played, and 'Now is the Hour' arranged and played, by Andy Skinnard

First broadcast BBC Radio 4, 18 June-13 July 2018

Reviews

The advice in Beyond Order reflects some new and painful awareness of mortality. But it was always Peterson's intimate, self-revealing style that made his life advice so powerful, so energising, and so hard to reduce to politics

—— Telegraph

A sui generis kind of personal trainer for the soul.... It's a good thing that there's space on the self-help shelves for a book as bracingly pessimistic as this one... Peterson offers an invaluable reminder that we're finite and inherently imperfect

—— Oliver Burkeman , Guardian (Book of the Week)

Life-changingly inspirational

—— The Times

Full of sensible, humane advice, and shows he is still very much on top... The book is a validation of his own role; as he observes, being able to articulate what many people instinctively feel but can't articulate is a valuable role for a public intellectual

—— Melanie McDonagh , Evening Standard

In telling us that life is suffering (as all major religions do) and that the goal is to find meaning rather than happiness, he does have something to say. ... wisdom combined with good advice. Peterson is at his best when telling stories of his clinical practice - he comes across as an empathetic non-judgmental listener

—— Suzanne Moore , Telegraph

More trenchant life advice from the bestselling author of 12 Rules for Life... bound to be a bestseller

—— The Times

Reliably thought-provoking, often engrossing ... Peterson has a sharp eye for the vagaries of human nature, and he can be a compelling storyteller, especially when narrating his own experiences and those he has observed from life. There is a fair amount of wisdom in Beyond Order, of the kind that used to be called common sense

—— Jenny McCartney , UnHerd

Part quest, part adventure, part lecture and part polemic... There's masses of passion, masses of wisdom and a deep, deep yearning for us all to seek the beauty, truth and meaning Peterson has sometimes glimpsed and is desperate for us to find. He has had tens of thousands of letters from people who say he has helped them to find it. How many writers can say they have done that?

—— Christina Patterson , Sunday Times

[Peterson is] enlightening as a clinical psychologist... Peterson's rules are an attempt to locate people within society, to acknowledge the systems and structures that have long existed and, instead of seeking to tear them down, encourage his readers to find their most functional position within them

—— Andrew Anthony , Observer

Beyond Order showcases Peterson's extraordinary gift for storytelling, as well as for extrapolating complex psychological themes and deriving lessons and meaning from them in ways lay readers can understand... A delight to read... Peterson is a world class communicator... Beyond Order is a compelling and ultimately life-affirming read for anyone willing to challenge their own ideas and face up to the untapped potential in their lives

—— Greg Jameson , Entertainment Focus

Gratitude, he says, is "something in which you can discover part of the antidote to the abyss and the darkness". As I read this last line, I found myself saying "amen". And I realised what Jordan Peterson really is. He has suffered more than most of us. He has seen the abyss. And he has emerged from it not a top public intellectual but a highly driven, intelligent, complex and deservedly successful preacher

—— Lucy Kellaway , Financial Times

[Beyond Order] has psychological value and if you want homespun common sense that is mixed with the wisdom of the ages then this is the book for you. The 12 new rules are clearly laid out with a mix of literature, mythology, philosophy, religion and psychology used to support the significance of each... It's worth reading to equip you to live a more purposeful and a more meaningful life

—— Stella O’Malley , Irish Independent

'With Beyond Order, Jordan Peterson has given us an astonishingly illuminating look at the human condition. Rule by rule, he digs into the cornerstones of our psyche and culture as he seeks to explain why we behave the way we do'

—— Hannah Gal , Quillette

Peterson is a deep thinker with tremendous powers of articulation and a captivating sense of wonder. A master storyteller, he draws on a multitude of sources, including his personal life, clinical practice and long marriage to enlighten readers about the fundamentals of human behavior and our civilization. Beyond Order is a call for action and self-improvement. It is a mind-blowing journey where the lessons learnt are lessons for life

—— The Jerusalem Post

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