Sarah Cowley – författare

The Changing Nature of Nursing in a Managerial AgeAs an occupation, nursing is perceived by some as an emergent profession and by others as a managed service. For the former group, the key to quality improvement in nursing is to develop and promote that professionalism. For the latter group, the success of nursing as an occupation depends on its ability to colonise senior positions within the management hierarchy of health services.This text takes a fresh view on the debate at the heart of nursing. It considers the future for nursing within health care and social care and how it needs to adjust to its changing status and power in the context of social and health policy.The book is organised into four sections. The first sets forth an ideal vision of nursing as a profession with 'caring' as its core feature. The second section outlines threats to nursing as a caring profession posed by a managerial agenda within health care and social care services. The third and fourth sections reconsider the ideals and realities of professional nursing in the context of managerialism and the changing culture of health care provision.This book makes a major contribution to current thinking about the nature of nursing as an occupation and its relevance and particular contribution to human well being. It should find a wide and appreciative audience among nurses and students, as well as other health care and social care professionals, and those involved in health service planning.

This title is directed primarily towards health care professionals outside of the United States. Since the first edition of this book was published, there has been considerable change across public health, health visiting and community nursing. The positive emphasis on developing and describing all services in relation to their purpose and client/user group is reflected in this second, emphasizing multi-disciplinarity and service focus rather than individual professions, whilst retaining the essential emphasis on policy and practice. Familiar occupational titles, such as health visitor, community development worker, midwife or nurse are still used within the chapters, recognizing the continued division of labour and major contributions to public health made by specific grass roots occupations. This second edition has been completely reorganised, expanded and updated to keep up with the rapid progress across the field of community public health.'Key issues' boxes identify major topics within each chapterDiscussion questions stimulate debateBoxes present information in a reader friendly, memorable formatEach chapter provides extensive research, conceptual critique, information about sources, and resources for further information.Seven totally new chapters on Partnership Working; Parenting and Family Support; Complex Community-based Initiatives; Leadership through Alongsideness; Quality in a Public Health Service and ImmunizationFour chapters completely rewritten: Health Needs Assessments; Collaborating for Health; Breastfeeding and Public Health; Safeguarding ChildrenAll remaining chapters have been substantially updated.