John Burton has worked in social care since 1965 as a practitioner at all levels, and as a manager, writer, trainer, researcher, inspector and consultant. He has campaigned to raise standards of care and has made such campaigning practical by leading the transformation of several care homes and of a voluntary organisation running homes. He is currently a member of the steering group based at the National Skills Academy (Social Care) for advancing the professional status and practice of Registered Managers. He is well known as a writer of books, chapters and hundreds of articles and columns in the social care press, and as a consultant supervising, mentoring and supporting managers to develop their services.

This book wants reading for several reasons. It is a book from the heart and highly readable. It identifies straightforwardly, matter-of-factly and scathingly the mindless, blinkered and harmful bureaucracy which has infected and distorted the social and health care system. Yet, in the face of these identified evils, it cleaves to optimism and independence of thought throughout and a determination that things can, and must, change. It discusses systems and ideas, but is written by an author with a detailed practical knowledge of care and who uses, throughout the book, care settings to illustrate in depth the issues as played out in the real world. Above all, this book challenges managers to break out of the vicious circle within which they can all too easily become enmired and ultimately, to lead good care.

• Foreword by Debbie Sorkin. Preface. Introduction. Stories of Leading Good Care. 1. Context and integration. 2. Care, the core task. 3. Beneath the surface.: The permanent underside of care. 4. Boundary: where your service interacts with its environment (outside it) and the uses of boundaries in leading care. 5. Manager as leader. 6. Changing places: turning barriers to leadership into enablers and supporters of leadership. 7. Stepping up to leadership: And leading your social care service with courage, vision and integrity. Appendix 1. Action learning. Appendix 2. Humpty Dumpty's social care words and phrases. Books and other resources. Index.