ISBN 978-1-922337-73-3
PAPERBACK

The Cut

Saving lives is meant to be above politics. In a troubled health system, where patient outcomes and personal gain are intertwined, Harvey Pearce discovers a disturbing and dangerous truth.

In The Cut, Dr Harvey Pearce is an emergency specialist who has spent a career looking after the sickest patients and improving emergency care. When he uncovers politically orchestrated activities that kill patients, harm staff, hide deficiencies and hinder progress, he becomes determined to find a solution.

Across the city, episodes of patient injury and preventable deaths continue despite Harvey’s struggles with bureaucracy. He drives to investigate these events, and their sinister connections, whilst the establishment resists his efforts and its leaders continue to tolerate catastrophes.

Harvey finds a grounding for his efforts through his podcasts. They fuel his aspirations as he struggles to put things right. The podcasts propose a pragmatic approach, offering a view that life could be better navigated with a closer focus on what really matters.

But Harvey is quickly confronted with desperate and ruthless players who turn his efforts at reform into a perilous game with critical stakes.

About the Author

Marcus Kennedy is a retired specialist medical practitioner (Emergency Medicine) and service leader, who now spends part of his time as a consultant, writer and in advisory and coaching roles.

He was a physician health manager and director with broad experience in health systems management, clinical governance, emergency care, retrieval medicine and critical care. As an expert in emergency systems design, development and improvement, he has had a successful career in management, consulting and administration.

His absorbing and provocative book The Cut, provides a unique expert perspective on some of the key challenges in today’s health systems – while providing a pragmatic view of what really matters in the way we tackle improvement.