Emerging Values in Health Care : The Challenge for Professionals

Professional values in the health care professions are in a state of constant, and increasingly rapid, change. If professionals are to work together in teams, it is vital that they understand the identities and values of their colleagues. This multi-authored, interdisciplinary volume charts how health care professional values have changed over the last forty years, and will help health care professionals understand where they have come from, where they are now, and where they might aspire to venture in the future. It examines how different health care groups and associations are responding to changing values, and outlines the practical implications for a variety of health care professions and professionals. The authors also look at what can be learnt about the changing nature of health care institutions, practices and professionas by examining changing values, and discuss how changing organisational and professional values, and the tensions therein, manifest in specific professional contexts. Each chapter is followed by a critical response from a senior health care professional. This book provides original insights into the current state of professional values and identities in health care, and the factors that challenge and constrain them. It will be a valuable resource for health care practitioners and deliverers, educators, trainers, professional bodies and anyone else concerned with the history, nature, significance and functions of professional values in health care.

Stephen Pattison is Head of School at Cardiff University's School of Religious and Theological Studies, and has previously lectured in theology at the University of Birmingham and University of Edinburgh, among others, and in health and social welfare at the Open University. He is a prolific author of articles and books on the subject of practical theology.

Derek Sellman qualified first as a mental health and then as a general adult nurse before studying for a BSc (Hons) in Nursing Studies at Manchester Polytechnic and a Master's Degree and PhD at the Institute of Education, University of London. He practiced as a nurse for many years before moving into nurse education in the late 1980s. He is the Editor of Nursing Philosophy and is now Associate Professor at the University of Alberta, Canada.

Ben Hannigan is a senior lecturer in the Cardiff School of Nursing and Midwifery Studies, Cardiff University. He previously worked as a community mental health nurse in an inter-professional team in East London.