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Book Review: Social Work in the Health Field: A Care Perspective

This book consists of a series of chapters considering the broad theme of social work in health care. It will be a useful resource for those professionals who are interested in issues concerning the role of social work within health care. It is also likely to be of interest to students undertaking professional training with some interest in the area but wishing to know more about the spectrum that this topic covers. In 1995, social work in health-related settings celebrated its centenary in the UK as a distinct field of professional practice (perhaps the earliest field of practice). It remains, however, a discrete area about which little has been published. Indeed, one of the last main books on this topic was published 10 years ago (Badawi and Biamonti, 1990). This present volume succeeds in highlighting key issues, trends and innovations in this area of practice in a way that is structured and accessible. It is, however, undoubtedly American in both nature and scope, and this may be a drawback for some readers outside the USA. The book is divided into separate sections, and the overall format is clear and logical. The separate sections are: introduction and overview, which covers a basic orientation to health-related social work and fundamental principles of practice; social work practice issues in different health settings (primary care, secondary care and tertiary care); and organizational issues, including finance. Each section has a number of chapters, which are well structured and easy to follow. One of the aims of the book is to emphasize the importance for professionals working with people in health care settings to consider the situation of those individuals within the social context and not just accepting the medical model of the disease process. It succeeds in this aim and clearly locates social work practice in health care within the organizational and social context in which it occurs. This is useful in order to understand how issues of a cultural, social or organizational nature may affect the ability of the practitioner to provide direct services to clients within health care settings. The clear focus on the influence of social variables on health care, which is found throughout the book, is an obvious strength of the volume. The practical information about the social work role within different health settings is useful, in particular, for students. The book includes some discussion of mental health care and work with individuals with mental health difficulties, although this is somewhat limited. Thorough coverage is given to the skills, values and knowledge base required in order to practise in this area and the application of these within the various health care settings is discussed. Useful attention is also paid to the ethical dimensions of practice. This includes articulation concerning the concept Reviews