Colin Palfrey

This book examines the methods used to evaluate the value of health promotion projects and determines whether attempts to change people’s lifestyles have proved successful. Taking in to account the practical and ethical issues involved in deciding the appropriate approach to take in efforts to reduce health inequalities, the book assesses what might be the best path forward for health promotion.

Evaluation research findings should be a key element of the policy-making process, yet in reality they are often disregarded. This valuable book examines the development of evaluation and its impact on public policy by analysing evaluation frameworks and criteria which are available when evaluating public policies and services. It further examines the nature of evidence and its use and non-use by decision-makers and assesses the work of influential academics in the USA and UK in the context of evaluation and policy making. The book emphasises the 'real world' of decision-makers in the public sector and recognises how political demands and economic pressures can affect the decisions of those who commission evaluation research while providing recommendations for policymakers on adopting a different approach to evaluation. This is essential reading for under-graduate and post-graduate students of policy analysis and public sector management, and those who are involved in the planning and evaluation of public policies and services.

Evaluation research findings should be a key element of the policy-making process, yet in reality they are often disregarded. This valuable book examines the development of evaluation and its impact on public policy by analysing evaluation frameworks and criteria which are available when evaluating public policies and services. It further examines the nature of evidence and its use and non-use by decision-makers and assesses the work of influential academics in the USA and UK in the context of evaluation and policy making. The book emphasises the 'real world' of decision-makers in the public sector and recognises how political demands and economic pressures can affect the decisions of those who commission evaluation research while providing recommendations for policymakers on adopting a different approach to evaluation. This is essential reading for under-graduate and post-graduate students of policy analysis and public sector management, and those who are involved in the planning and evaluation of public policies and services.

Effective Health Care Management presents the principles and criteria necessary to evaluate and enhance the quality of health care services in the NHS today. It provides an overview of health care management and health care policy, explores evidence based practice, and examines the ongoing need for management evaluation. The authors discuss the role of outcome measures, performance indicators, benchmarking, and individual performance review. They also address clinical governance, accountability and professional autonomy, and the problems underlying 'seamless service provision'.

This concise, introductory textbook provides an engaging and accessible introduction to health policy and planning. Aimed at students of nursing, medicine and other health disciplines, as well as practitioners, the book examines key concepts and models of health policy and planning in such a way that they can be applied to any national context. The final result will stimulate discussion amongst students of health care management in a context free from ethnocentric limitations.

In this study the social construction of dementia is examined closely for the first time. Nancy Harding and Colin Palfrey show how Western society sees dementia as a disease, rather than a natural part of the ageing process. They take issue with the constructed view of the body as a machine, whose parts 'break down' and need replacement. Furthermore, the authors argue, the various explanations of the causes of dementia are nothing but speculation dressed up as theories, which serve only to confuse the carers. Based on an intensive three-year-long evaluation of a community care service for older people with dementia, `The Social Construction of Dementia' looks at the experience of users and providers alike, and provides a refreshing new viewpoint on the `disease' of dementia.

A practical book, based on sound theoretical models, which explores the main criteria available for evaluating social care and health services. The book explains why the various criteria are used, identifies the problems inherent in using them, and offers specific guidance on how to use each of the criteria. The guidance offered is seen as important at a time when health and social care agencies are under increasing pressure to evaluate and improve their performance.