Addressing the problems of managing health care is one ofthe most pressing and complex challenges facing western societies. In the UKthe public are bombarded with negative press coverage of the National HealthService, which is often portrayed as in crisis. Hope Behind the Headlines aims to provide practical help, hope,energy and ideas about what is possible to improve health care by shifting thecultures to ones that are truly patient centred and orientated towards quality. Hope Behind the Headlines is a readable and accessible book that ispacked full of learning, insights, research and experiences that will ensureleaders really understand what is required to shift cultures in theory and inpractice. It will leave readers energised and hopeful about their own abilityto make a difference in their own local health context. It includes chapters written by leaders in health care who havehad a go at shifting culture in practice and who share their experiences, wartsand all. These stories are powerful, empathetic, first-person narratives thatare very different from sanitised case studies that often glorify what happenedand make readers feel inadequate. A must-read for all those concerned withimproving health care in the UK.