Key Themes in Health and Social Care: A Companion to Learning

This revised and expanded second edition of Key Themes in Health and Social Care is a learning resource for students in health and social care. It provides an overview of foundational issues and core themes in the field and introduces key areas of debate, moving from an introductory level to in-depth discussion as the book progresses. Divided into three parts:

• the first part sets the scene, addressing introductory psychology and sociology, social policy, equality and diversity, skills for practice, and working with people
• the second part considers key themes such as mental health and wellbeing; management of services; the relationship between place and wellbeing; research in health and social care; and person-centred interventions
• the third part looks at discrete areas of practice such as mental health; ageing, leading and managing health and social care; working with vulnerable populations; and health promotion

Each chapter begins with an outline of the content and learning outcomes and includes reflective exercises to allow students to reflect on what they have read, review their learning and consolidate their understanding. Time-pressed readers wanting to ‘dip into’ the book for relevant areas can do so but, read from cover to cover, the book provides a comprehensive introduction to the key areas of contemporary health and social care practice. It will be particularly helpful for students undertaking health and social care undergraduate and foundation degrees.

Adam Barnard (PhD) has worked in Higher Education for over twenty years. During this time, he has worked with a variety of students and learners across educational contexts. He is programme leader for Professional Doctorates in Social Practice at Nottingham Trent University. His latest works are Developing Professional Practice in Health and Social Care (2019), Key Themes in Health and Social Care published by Routledge in 2011, and Value Base of Social Work and Social Care with Open University Press (2008). He is involved in the leadership and management of research in social science including ethics, governance, supervision and development. He is working on a book on developing reflective practice in Health and Social Care. He is committed to challenging policy, research and practice that does not contribute to ethical and value-based professionalism of frontline workers.

Verusca Calabria (PhD) is a Senior Lecturer in Health and Social Care in the Department of Social Work, Care and Community, School of Social Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham (UK). Verusca is an interdisciplinary qualitative researcher working across the Social Sciences and Humanities. Her PhD research combined participatory-action-research with oral history to explore the transition from institutional to community care practices. Her research interests include the history of mental health care in the UK, patient and public involvement in health and social care, oral history, participatory action research, researcher vulnerability. She has presented her research at several international conferences and co-convenes the NTU cross-faculty Oral History Network.

Louise Griffiths is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work, Care and Community at Nottingham Trent University. Louise’s research interests include prison peer support with particular attention paid to the Prison Listener Scheme and the self-harm behaviour of prisoners. Louise's PhD thesis explored the Prison Listener Scheme's contribution to the reduction in self-harm within the female prison estate. Louise has a multi-disciplinary background as she completed her MSc in Psychology and PhD in Criminology at Nottingham Trent University.

Bailey Foster is a Research Assistant in the Social Work, Care and Community department at Nottingham Trent University. Before entering academia, Bailey worked as a Teaching Assistant across schools in Nottinghamshire, whilst also completing an MSc in Forensic Psychology. This has led Bailey to be interested in inequalities within the justice system for people with additional needs. As Bailey is a researcher across the Social Work, Care and Community department, she has also worked on projects relating to child sexual exploitation and transitional support, consent education and mental health.