ABSTRACT
Several interventions used community development as a commitment to a holistic approach to health and social need that recognizes the central importance of social inclusion, social support and social networks. Individuals and communities need to be fully involved in partnerships and networks to set priorities, make decisions, plan strategies and implement them in order to achieve better health. Many interventions used the community action model which aims to mobilize disadvantaged communities to reduce the fact that inequalities may damage their health. An indicator of ‘best practice’ is illustrated by those nurses, midwives and health visitors who enable people to make choices about healthier lifestyles, as well as facilitate greater access to screening and treatment services. In similar holistic vein, health promotion agents are offering a wide range of services both directly helping individuals in the community as well
as encouraging others to act as lay health promoters. The example shows a voluntary agency called Bryson House that has a lengthy history of pioneering new services in response to emerging need in close collaboration with the statutory sector and the local community. It is within this framework that the ‘Home from Hospital Service’ is offered.
