Community Health and Social Services

The importance of caring for people in the community has been emphasized with the introduction of Project 2000 based nurse education and the government initiated Griffiths report, and their response to it. This text describes the structure of the community health services which relate to the maintenance of health, indicating how the services operate, and how best to use the people and resources available. There is special reference to the social aspects of disease and ill-health. The book takes account of and discusses recent changes in government legislation - National Health Service changes (Health Bill) following the white paper on health; child care (Children Bill) and mental handicap (especially community care after the Griffith's report). It also includes a special reference to the role of the primary health care team and discusses topical issues such as AIDS, cot deaths, new immunization schedules (for example MMR vaccination), screening, child sexual abuse, the increasing numbers of elderly people, and drugs and alcohol abuse.