Will health visiting survive?

摘要

When I met district nurses and health visitors last week in Edinburgh, there was much discussion about our plans for the integration of acute and community health services and social care. There were questions and comments about the pace of change, the implications of such fundamental change for frontline staff and, most importantly, what it will mean for patients-how will it really improve services and outcomes of care? How will we ensure robust clinical governance and professional accountability? There were also questions about money and how health budgets would be 'protected' against the need to subsidise the rising demand for social care.