This third edition of Community Care Practice and the Law has been substantially rewritten and restructured to reflect the rapid legal and policy changes affecting the community care field. It provides comprehensive and jargon-free explanations of both community care legislation and other areas of the law directly relevant to practitioners. Topics covered include: • assessment and eligibility criteria (`fair access to care') and waiting times • placing people in care homes • non-residential, domiciliary and home care services • carers' assessments and services • home adaptations and disabled facilities grants * direct payments * continuing health care and health services generally, including community equipment services * joint working between local authorities and the NHS * single assessment process, intermediate care * decision making capacity and incapacity * information sharing * adult protection * human rights and disability discrimination * health and safety at work legislation including manual handling people subject to immigration control, including asylum seekers care standards. Numerous examples of legal cases and ombudsman investigations clearly illustrate the practical impact of legislation on community care. A separate chapter provides an at-a-glance view of the whole range of legislation underpinning the everyday work of practitioners. The author also identifies the underlying mechanisms, tensions and problems affecting community care law and practice. Primarily covering England in detail, much of the legal case law covered and the legal principles involved are of general relevance across the United Kingdom, and where material is not directly applicable to Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, short summaries offer general pointers for the position in these three countries. This book is an essential guide for practitioners and managers in both the statutory and voluntary sectors, policy makers in local and central government, advocates, lawyers and social work students.

To maximise the effectiveness of their work, NHS employees need a clear understanding of the structures and systems of the organisation in which they work. However, this information can be widely spread, hard to access and difficult to gain a working overview of, and the pace of changes and initiatives can seem almost dizzying. This book draws together a clear picture of the modern NHS, from funding and governance to reports, inquiries and overarching legislation. The book is clear and easy to understand and crucially includes full references to provide a one-stop point of access to the most detailed and up-to-date information available. This book is essential reading for workers in the NHS at all levels, including managers, administrators and clinical professionals. It is vital reading for managers and staff at commercial companies working with the NHS. It will also be of interest to campaigners, patient interest groups, researchers and journalists with an interest in the NHS. Specialty registrars and consultants can also find the information from the book, and much more, in The Doctor's Handbook Parts 1 & 2, by the same author. 'Rather than long narrative histories or complex explanations, the author signposts readers to sources of further information, making this book the quick guide so many of us need' - from the Foreword by Sir Ian Carruthers