Alex Anstey
AUTHOR

Alex Anstey

Biographies & Memoirs
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I am aged 63 and am still working full time as a NHS consultant dermatologist at Somerset Foundation Trust. I am married to Sarah; we have two children Becca and Ben. We also have a cockerpoo named Moli. Under the Skin is my first book. I wrote it, as I wanted to give an insider's view of the NHS. I have been fortunate to have had a number senior leadership roles in the NHS, most recently as Clinical Director for dermatology at Ysbyty Gwynedd in Bangor, Gwynedd. Our service was failing and we did something about it. We flipped the model of care so that most patients were managed in the community by GPs with help and support from the dermatology team. Our ambition was to create a better service and to try to reduce the waiting lists. Did it work? Yes it did. The waiting lists came tumbling down; the GPs were enthusiastic participants; the hospital managers loved it; the patients were happy. We even made the cut in the 2021 BMJ Dermatology Team of the Year. How much did this service change cost? Nothing. We just used our existing resources differently. Although our team was proud of this achievement, ultimately, this was an empty success. There should have been investment into the service to consolidate our gains, but there wasn't. Doing more with not enough is very typical of what is happening in today's NHS. Weaved into the text are stories of ten influencers and heroes whom I admire. Their insights into healthcare were profound and are cherished in this book: Cadwaladr, Jenner, Osler, Cochrane, Lloyd George, Bevan, Berwick, Tudor Hart, Christensen and Osier. Eight men and two women. Their stories are amazing, and their influence on my thinking and actions are easily discerned. Some might say that dermatology is not representative of the whole NHS. They may be right. However, there is nothing about dermatology that makes it greatly different from any other part of the NHS. Our experiences in dermatology are not so very different from cardiology, gastroenterology, rheumatology and ophthalmology. Where does the NHS go from here? We need to understand where we have come from and have a much better idea of where the NHS is going. In short, a strategy and long-term independence from political interference. Restoring the NHS to greatness will be the ultimate act of levelling up, and will go some way to addressing widening inequality in the UK.
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  • Under the Skin cover art

    • Under the Skin

    • A Dermatologist's Fight to Save the NHS
    • By: Alex Anstey
    • Narrated by: Alex Anstey
    • Length: 10 hrs and 18 mins
    • Release date: 21-07-2022
    • Language: English
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