Review

Promoting people power

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT IN HEALTH
Jan Smithies & Georgina Webster
Ashgate Publishing, 1998, £49.50

The view that the medical profession has the sole right to organising and commenting upon health matters is rapidly becoming a thing of the past. This book takes the philosophy that underpins Labour’s public health white paper and pursues the theme of consumer involvement and increased access to facilities and services.

It is therefore timely for anyone who wants an overall picture of the current situation and the information available. It is easy to follow and free of unnecessary jargon, and the sensible structure allows the reader to dip in and out.

The authors move beyond discussion of advocacy and autonomy to concerns about access and action. The impact of this changing philosophy on the self-esteem of service users — and the implications for professional practice — are considered sensibly and in detail. The move towards a system of participatory needs assessment is discussed at length. The dangers are outlined and honestly addressed.

The arguments are presented so that anyone involved in the current movement towards greater user involvement can easily find charts, summaries and discussion points which will help them clarify the issues and objectives for their area. The book is well referenced and includes an extensive bibliography and an appendix of useful organisations.

The implications for practice of this movement towards user autonomy and involvement are discussed on every step of the way. There is so much good, useful information here that it could almost form the basis of a course in itself. This book should be on every health professional’s reading list.