Accountability and Professionalism in Nursing and Healthcare

Marc Cornock is an academic lawyer and Senior Lecturer in Healthcare Law in the Faculty of Wellbeing, Education and Language Studies, The Open University. Before joining the Faculty of Health and Social Care at the Open University, Marc was Senior Lecturer in Law at the Open University Law School and prior to that was Principal Lecturer and Academic Lead for law in health care in The Faculty of Health and Social Work at the University of Plymouth. During a professional career within health care, Marc undertook a master’s degree in Medical Law and a PhD at Cardiff University Law School and studied undergraduate law at The Open University. Marc’s teaching interests lie in both general law and in health law. Marc has lectured on legal aspects of healthcare to various professional groups. His research focuses on the interface between the law and healthcare practice, and he has written extensively on this for professional and academic audiences. He is the author of Key Questions in Healthcare Law and Ethics, also published by SAGE Publications Ltd.

A well-considered text that explores the on-times complex issues underpinning contemporary nursing practise and the impact that this can have. The book is designed in such a way that it progresses naturally from one subject to another and in doing so builds knowledge and understanding sympathetically. The chapter structures encourage active engagement with the subject matter by way of question-and-answer, facilitating learning that is centred around the key issues at play. The language is mostly easy to follow and engaging, making it an extremely accessible text with which to work. The content is relevant, well-researched and carefully considered, supported by appropriate referencing and opportunities for further reading and instruction. While not drawing on case scenarios to aid the consolidation from theory to practise, the content does cite and utilise cases from Law. While a little text-heavy on times, its application to the profession is explored eloquently, leaving the reader confident in the literature and materials discussed.

• Chapter 1: ProfessionalismChapter 2: AccountabilityChapter 3: Being a professionalChapter 4: Working with othersChapter 5: Respecting patient rightsChapter 6: Clinical decisions and patient safetyChapter 7: If things go wrongA final question