Setting Up New Services in the NHS: ‘Just Add Water!'(Community, Culture and Change)

This 'recipe book' for setting up a successful NHS service is based on the author's experience of implementing a new service in an incredibly complex public organisation: Henderson Hospital, a democratic Therapeutic Community (TC) which set up a 'replica' TC service for three separate NHS Trusts. Kingsley Norton takes us step-by-step through the entire process, from ideological statements and evidence-based research to creating a development plan and delivering services to the community. Having established a 'Henderson Development Team' and a separate steering group, and having worked with three separate Trusts, Henderson staff and service users, Norton stresses the need for clear management structures and the importance of the consistent involvement and participation of managers. Looking at how separate Trusts can work effectively together, the importance of written agreements, and how service users can be invaluable in the implementation process, the author shows how the translation of an idea into a fully functioning service provider is far more complex than 'just adding water'. The author's wealth of hands-on experience and practical advice makes this book essential reading for anyone with an interest in management, the NHS and public services, but also for those wanting to know more about Therapeutic Communities and how they operate as institutions.

Table of Contents:
Preface. Acknowledgements. Part I: Setting Up the Replication Project. 1. Recipe and Ingredients. 2. The Blending. Part II: The New Services in Operation. 3. First Helpings. 4. Second Helpings. 5. Aftertaste. Part III. Reviewing the Project. 6. The Proof of the Pudding. 7. A Last Supper. 8. To Future Chefs. Appendix: Notes of the Extended Replication Meeting. References. Subject Index. Author Index.

About the Author :
Kingsley Norton is Head of Psychotherapy, St Bernard's Hospital, Middlesex. From 1989 to 2006 he was the Director of Henderson Hospital in Surrey, England. He is a Jungian analyst, has previously published three books on how to deal with patients who are difficult to treat, and is the author of over 80 articles and chapters.

Review :
Anyone interested in managing change in any environment, especially if they want to innovate, would benefit from this book. Norton has, I feel, done brilliantly in recording a thorough account of this long process of attempting to develop this new service. His own, and his team's commitment in trying to provide a larger service from an already successful and established one, is shown in detail. This book will enlighten anyone attempting to do the same. It may well put them off, or hopefully, it will prove invaluable in highlighting errors in the process and areas in which to take care, therefore making it less likely for others to make the same mistakes. It is also of interest to those of us working within the NHS, giving an insight into how higher management works within the organisation, and the incredibly complex machine that is our National Health Service. If only it was as simple as 'Just add water' - we'd all be setting up new services! This book would make good reading for anyone connected to the NHS who has thoughts of setting up a new service. It sheds light onto many questions that may be asked.