Teamwork for Primary and Shared Care

Primary health care in Britain and many other countries is undergoing a number of fundamental changes. These include the increasing recognition of lifestyle and environmental factors as determinants of ill health, the greater emphasis now placed on health promotion and prevention of illness, new contractual arrangements for general practitioners requiring greater accountability and value for money, and major advances in information technology. Medical audit is now an increasing concern of professionals and health authorities and trusts, and its implementation requires teamwork and facilitation. All these factors point towards the need for effective teamwork in primary care and specialist units, as well as communication between them. This book is unique in the field of primary health care and shared care, it presents a programme of learning and practical exercises that can be undertaken within each team, preferably with the help of a facilitator. The plan is for all the professional members of the team to work on team development in 13 weekly sessions of about one hour, with some additional reading time and homework.
This method has the advantage of being focused on the key issues and tasks facing each team, and taking the whole team one step nearer to the achievement of its goals. Talking about teamwork is not enough: it must be worked at if it is to be effective. This book is intended for everyone in the primary care team. Recommended to institutions involved in educational programmes for district nurses, health visitors, community psychiatric nurses, and social workers.