Opinion
NURSING MANAGEMENT April 2009 | Volume 16 | Number 1 9
Book reviews
Who Decides Who
Decides?
Author: John Spiers
Publisher: Radcliffe
Publishing
Price: �24.95
Pages: 258
ISBN: 9781846192760
ONCE yOU have deciphered the title, this
detailed and robust publication will help to
unravel the political, social and economic
influences that shape healthcare provision.
The text covers resource allocation and
the structure of healthcare systems that meet
patient needs. The heavy use of rhetoric is
frustrating but, having grasped the complex
issues the book covers, nurses will be better
able to act as patient advocates.
I suspect university libraries will stock this
book, but I doubt many nurses will buy it.
Ian Peate is associate head of the
school of nursing and midwifery
at the University of Hertfordshire
An Introduction to
Excellence in Practice
Development in Health
and Social Care
Rob McSherry, Jerry Warr
Publisher: OU Press
�21.99 | 152pp
ISBN: 9780335223213
ROB McSHERRy and Jerry Warr provide
essential information on practice development
in this excellent book.
It is well referenced, and includes many
useful diagrams and signposts to encourage
further reading. Topics covered include
the application of practice development,
how to measure success, and public and
patient expectations.
I recommend this book to multidisciplinary
staff in all clinical environments, whether or
not there is a practice development presence.
Marion Goodchild is the lead cancer
nurse at the Milton Keynes Hospital
NHS Foundation Trust, Buckinghamshire
Nursing Today:
Transition and trends
Authors: Joann Zerwekh
and Jo Carol Claborn
Publisher: Elsevier
Price: �24.99
Pages: 640
ISBN: 9781416056720
THIS BOOK aims to alleviate the stress
that many `beginner' nurses face as they
attempt the transition from student to
registered practitioner.
It provides information that newly
registered staff need to know, such as
developments in healthcare provision
and the practice of nursing.
Of the six themed sections, three focus
on the needs of individual nurses and
cover topics such as role transitions, time
management, mentoring and preceptorship,
effective communication, team building,
conflict management and delegation.
The other sections are more general.
In one, nursing history, education and theory
are reviewed while, in the other two, current
healthcare and practice issues are examined.
These issues include organising patient care,
healthcare economics, political action, legal
and ethical challenges, culture and spirituality,
quality assurance, nursing informatics, and
health and safety.
The most informative and helpful chapters
are those concerning specific management
skills and coping with the transition from
being a learner to being a practitioner.
The book features the work of many
authors but chapters are similar in format
and style, with colours and cartoons used to
highlight and illustrate key points in the text.
One disadvantage of the book is that it
tries to cover too much ground. Another
is that the text is written entirely in an
American context.
Complete chapters are therefore irrelevant
to many readers outside the United States
and so I cannot recommend it for use as a
textbook in the UK.
Jennifer Hunt is a visiting professor
at the Institute of Health Research,
University of Bedfordshire
European outlook
Finding the right candidate
The current economic recession means
that a general election in the UK before
spring next year is unlikely. The less
wellpublicised European Parliament (EP)
election occurs on June 4, however.
For some, European elections offer
opportunities to show what they think of
national parties and their performance on
domestic issues. But, given the increasing
influence of the European Union (EU) on
public policies, including those concerning
health services, it is worth finding out who
is standing for election in your region, and
how interested they are in health service
provision and other healthcare issues.
When the EP winds down in preparation
for the election, a lot of business will remain
unfinished and newly elected members
(MEPs) are likely to have to sort out draft
EU legislation on crossborder health care,
changes to working time legislation, and
draft recommendations on patient safety
and healthcareassociated infections.
New MEPs will also scrutinise the
outcome of a European Commission
consultations on the future of healthcare
workforces and health inequalities.
All of these proposals will affect UK
health services, either because they will
lead to changes in working times or will
present opportunities to share best practice
during workforce planning.
Between now and June, prospective
MEPs will want to raise their profile locally,
so the RCN is finalising its key messages for
the EP election and beyond.
To find out more about the RCN
campaign and who represents your
region in the EP, visit www.rcn.org.uk/
europeanelections2009
Susan Williams is head of international affairs
at the RCN

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