Join Gavin Francis, author and GP, in conversation with Michael Rosen, one of the UK’s best-known children’s authors, to find out why they think Britain’s health service is worth saving.
They will share professional and deeply personal perspectives on Covid as well as discussing what recovery really means, both for individuals experiencing illness and for the NHS as an institution in crisis.
The conversation will facilitated by Dame Elizabeth Anionwu, Emeritus Professor of Nursing at the University of West London.
The event takes place in our building and will be livestreamed on our YouTube channel.
Gavin Francis is author of ‘Free for All: Why the NHS is Worth Saving’ and ‘Recovery’, published by Wellcome Collection.
Michael Rosen is author of ‘Many Different Kinds of Love: A Story of Life, Death and the NHS’ and ‘Getting Better’, published by Ebury Press.
Dates
, –
Past
Need to know
Location
We’ll be in the Henry Wellcome Auditorium. To get there, take the stairs or the lift down to level −1. The auditorium is fitted with a hearing loop.
British Sign Language interpreted (online)
This event is British Sign Language interpreted. An interpreter will be embedded in the event livestream or visible on screen for online viewers.
Speech-to-text (online)
This event will be live-transcribed for online viewers. Online ticketholders will receive a link to view the captions in a separate window.
Hearing loop
There will be a hearing loop at this event.
For more information, please visit our Accessibility page. If you have any queries about accessibility, please email us at access@wellcomecollection.org or call 0 2 0. 7 6 1 1. 2 2 2 2
About your contributors
Gavin Francis
Speaker
Gavin Francis is a GP and the author of eleven books of non-fiction including ‘Adventures in Human Being’ (2015), ‘Shapeshifters’ (2018), ‘Intensive Care’ (2021), ‘Recovery: the Lost Art of Convalescence’ (2022) and ‘Free For All’ (2023) - a passionate defence of the principles of the NHS. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, and the Royal College of General Practitioners. His books have been translated into twenty languages. His latest book, ‘The Unfragile Mind’, examines mental health, arguing for greater curiosity, humility, kindness, and hope in approaches to psychiatric diagnosis.
Michael Rosen
Speaker
Michael Rosen is one of the best-known figures in the children’s book world. He is renowned for his work as a poet, performer, broadcaster and scriptwriter. He is Professor of Children’s Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London and visits schools with his one-man show to enthuse children with his passion for books and poetry. In 2007 he was appointed Children’s Laureate, a role which he held until 2009. While Laureate, he set up The Roald Dahl Funny Prize. He currently lives in London with his wife and children.
Elizabeth Anionwu
Facilitator
Dame Elizabeth Anionwu is Emeritus Professor of Nursing at the University of West London. In 1979 she became the first UK sickle cell nurse counsellor, based in Brent, London.