Critical practice in health and social care

This book is one of a series of core texts for an Open University course of the same title aimed primarily at students, practitioners, and educators in social work, nursing and associated health and social care professions. It sets out to take ‘‘a fresh look at professions and professionalism—what these terms mean and what they need to mean in the future in the health and social care field’’. In doing this, its stated major intention is to support a new kind of reflexive practice—to help practitioners develop a much more ‘‘collaborative, negotiated and power-sharing approach to their work’’ which is both strategic and flexible to on-going change. However, because Critical Practice in Health and Social Care brings together the wide range of ever changing influences—both historical and contemporary—on decision-making by professionals in the health and social care arena, it is a useful reference text not only for its main professional audiences, but also for others interested in this key issue for the future of care services.