Managing for Health by Hunter, David J.;

Short description:

Expertly mixing theory with practice and illustrated with up-to-the minute case studies, this book, authored by a leading name in the field, makes a unique and important contribution to the area of health management.

Long description:

Expertly mixing theory with practice, this text makes a unique and important contribution to the area of health management.

Through examples and case studies drawn from across Europe, Managing for Health explores the management challenge in public health policy and offers pointers to equip students of health management and public health managers with the necessary perspectives and skills to function effectively in the twenty-first century. This book takes a comparative perspective on the issues of health improvement and the struggle between the needs of acute care providers, such as hospitals and those that provide preventative measures to promote health.

The key issues addressed by this book include:

• the concept of managing for health, or public health management


• the importance of public health management


• the skills and frameworks required of managers and practitioners working in health systems


• the implications for training and development.

This comprehensive and balanced textbook is an essential read for students and those engaged with health management, public health and public management .

'In this timely and highly readable book, David Hunter and his colleagues demonstrate the importance of leadership in achieving better health in an increasingly complex world. It will be essential reading for those delivering better health but it also deserves to be read, and hopefully understood, by their political masters.' - Martin McKee CBE, Professor of European Public Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

'This is an important book, which argues cogently that health (and not only health services) has to be managed, and that public health practitioners and managers have to be equipped, through good management development programmes to manage for health.  It deserves not only to be widely read throughout Europe – but, more importantly, the conclusions should be implemented.' - Philip C. Berman, Director, European Health Management Association

Table of Contents:

 Introduction  1. The Policy Context and Growing Importance of Health  2. The Public Health Function  3. Exploring Managing for Health  4. Managers for Health: Skills and Knowledge Frameworks  5. Information Needs for Managing Health  6. Research Informed Public Health  7. Developing Leadership and Management for Health  8. Conclusion