Communities of Influence
contents page

Introduction – a fresh approach to improving services
        Encouraging change from the ground up
1 – The power of the collective voice
        How a charity known for its nurses came to work with general practitioners
2 – Making the invisible visible
        The importance of tracking life and achievements of communities over time
3 – Working with and through doctors
        How a community of GPs made a difference to patient care
4 – The social life of documents
        Making sure written products of communities get noticed and used
5 – Hybrid creatures
        A novel way of bridging the gap between research and service improvement
4 – Cultivating a lively community
        The role of the supporting team in helping a group become more influential
5 – Involving lay people as partners
        How patients joined a professional community and helped shape new services
8 – Playing a long game
        Benefits and risks of working with communities of influence over time

Postscript: a writer’s personal reflections
Suggestions for further reading