The authors' primary purpose is to analyze the forces that have shaped British health policy over the last two decades, but they have also provided up-to-date factual information. Areas covered include the funding of the service, resources, allocation, health care priorities, organization and management, industrial relations, medical careers, and the evaluation of the NHS's performance. The government white paper Working for Patients and its possible impact are integrated into the text, and a second feature is the use of political theory to produce an integrated explanation for the policy trends observed. The authors are all leading specialists in the fields of health policy and management.