'Deeply affecting - a personal memoir that grips, harrows, inspires and, ultimately, uplifts with its vein of deep humanity' Philippe Sands'An extraordinarily frank book laced with humour and self-deprecation' The TimesAs a doctor on the intensive care unit at one of London's top hospitals, Jim Down has spent his life working as healthcare's last resort, where each day reveals a new challenge. But nothing could prepare Jim and his colleagues for the events of spring 2020, when the Covid-19 pandemic put them on the frontline of a global health crisis.In Life Support, Jim tells the extraordinary month-by-month story of how, as the world came to a standstill, he and his co-workers faced down the biggest challenge in the history of the NHS. Full of warmth, honesty and humour, this book is a gripping and moving testament to the everyday heroism of the NHS staff in a global emergency, and an unforgettable insight into what was really happening on the wards as we clapped on our doorsteps.
Format:
CONTRIBUTORS: Dr Jim Down
EAN: 9780241506325
COUNTRY: United Kingdom
PAGES:
WEIGHT: 170 g
HEIGHT: 198 cm
PUBLISHED BY: Penguin Books Ltd
DATE PUBLISHED: 2021-11-04
CITY:
GENRE: BIOGRAPHY & AUTOBIOGRAPHY / Medical (incl. Patients), MEDICAL / Nursing / Critical & Intensive Care
WIDTH: 129 cm
SPINE:
Book Themes:
Autobiography: science, technology and medicine, Intensive care medicine, Intensive care nursing
'Remarkable... humane and deeply moving, Jim's book questions the future of healthcare in Britain', 'Deeply affecting - a personal memoir that grips, harrows, inspires and, ultimately, uplifts with its vein of deep humanity' , 'One of the doctors with the most hands-on experience of Covid in the country', 'A deeply moving and beautifully written account of what life was truly like for our frontline ICU teams during the first wave of COVID-19', 'Reading Life Support, I was gripped, amazed, appalled and, ultimately, inspired. If Jim Down is as good a doctor as he is a writer, I'd definitely want him treating me'
Dr Jim Down is a consultant in critical care and anaesthesia at University College London Hospitals. He chairs the ICU consultants' group, the department of anaesthesia weekly scientific meetings, and the UCLH Trust guideline committee. During the Covid-19 pandemic he worked on UCLH's busy ICU ward, and was interviewed by the BBC for a groundbreaking report depicting medics on the frontline. His account of that period, Life Support, was published in 2021.
