PCX network book club review Book title: Involving people in healthcare policy and practice Author: Susie Green Publisher: Radcliffe Oxford ISBN: 1857757734 RRP: £24.95 Background Susie Green explores the link between the 'corridors of power' where healthcare policy is made and the hospital, health centre or clinic where it is carried out. ‘Involving people in healthcare policy and practice’ looks to empower readers to make changes in the public's involvement at a local level which in turn can impact positively on organisational culture. About the author Susie Green is Governing Member, South Staffordshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. She currently writes and undertakes freelance work to promote service user and carer involvement. Susie is also a blogger on the Patient-Citizen Exchange. Who should read this book This title would be of interest to anyone working or studying in health involvement. About the reviewer Rachel Matthews is a PCX network member and Senior Nurse of User Involvement at the Royal Brompton and Harefield NHS Trust, London. Rachel is working on strengthening Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) in her Trust, currently through their PPI Strategy which she is revising. Rachel Matthew’s review This book will be of interest to anybody who cares about how healthcare is delivered. Susie Green succeeds in taking the reader on an uncomfortable journey. She reminds healthcare professionals that the line which separates “provider” from “user” is usually temporary and the most important message from her book is “do as you would be done by”. PCX network book club review: Involving people in healthcare policy and practice. November 2007. The book is divided into three parts that will appeal to different audiences. Part 1 provides a comprehensive review of policies and legislation which aim to increase the involvement of service users. There are useful reminders about high profile investigations such as the Bristol Inquiry that demonstrated that professional expertise is not infallible. There are useful debates about the effectiveness of policies and some of the services and structures which have come into being as a result such as PALS (Patient Advice and Liaison Service) and Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Forums. Part 2 will interest all those who are responsible for leading PPI. I particularly enjoyed this section because the challenges described were familiar. This came as a relief but also made me uncomfortable because I realise that there is considerable amount of work to do. Importantly, this section describes how the author put ideas into practice. The examples she uses are from mental health services but there are many good practice ideas that could be adapted to other specialities. I found the descriptions of the “Telling it like it is” event for users and the development of “The Heart of the Trust Scheme” particularly revealing. In both cases, the attention paid to users and the careful use of language to convey value and meaning stand out. The user perspective is presented in first hand accounts in Part 3. This part of the book provides an insight into the experience of users who have taken the decision to get involved with those who provide healthcare. These chapters will appeal to those who may or may not work professionally in healthcare but are keen to influence decision making. The experiences of Mike Cooke, Donna Wedgbury, Lindsey Dyer and David Gilbert describe a range of positive and negative experiences that will be recognisable to both those who want to involve users and those users who want to be involved. There are pitfalls but careful thought, detailed planning, firm support and studied reflection can help us to avoid many traps and I would recommend chapter 12 to all Chief Executives. Rachel’s opinion The book successfully combines theory and practice. Each chapter finishes with some key thoughts which are explained in a straightforward way. It will serve as a valuable reference for those working in the statutory and voluntary sector and the only gap I can find is the limited discussion in relation to the introduction of LINks (Local Involvement Networks) but as those working in PPI will recognise, this is not necessarily a deficiency, just a reflection of its changing nature. Where to buy ‘Involving people in healthcare policy and practice’ can be purchased directly from the publisher: Radcliffe Oxford Publishing Web: http://radcliffeoxford.com/books/bookdetail.aspx?ISBN=1857757734 Telephone: 01235 528820 PCX network book club review: Involving people in healthcare policy and practice. November 2007.