This book is designed as a companion text for the variety of support workers in the field of rehabilitation. It recognises the diversity of roles and array of training and education options; formal routes such as S/NVQ and schemes which are tailored to an individual workplace. Therefore the focus of the book is simply to provide an accessible introduction to rehabilitating the patient, no matter what discipline or service leads this activity.

Enabling Independence provides practical information by reflecting different approaches to assisting with rehabilitation. The first section introduces the framework for the book and considers the philosophy of enablement. The second section is dedicated to ‘enhancing function’ and details the most common activities of daily living, such as mobility and dressing. This is followed by a ‘problem oriented approach’ in the third section, which addresses typical problems which support workers are likely to encounter, such as patients who fall or experience fatigue. The final section considers issues in delivering the rehabilitation support, such as team working and supporting carers.

Hazel Mackey has worked in rehabilitation / reablement settings since 1986, firstly within elderly care and latterly in various primary care settings. For the last 10 years she has been involved in the education and training of therapy support workers through National Vocational Qualifications at levels 3 and 4. She is currently on a steering group overseeing the introduction of ‘generic’ rehabilitation support workers into intermediate care settings with North Staffordshire. She is Occupational Therapy Services Manager at Bucknall Hospital in Stoke-on-Trent and is undertaking a Professional Doctorate in Education at Keele University.

Susan Nancarrow is a Senior Research Fellow and research coordinator with Trent Focus, based at the University of Sheffield. Her research interests include workforce development and workforce flexibility, especially for allied health professions. Within this, she is interested in the introduction of new roles through the growth of support workers. Susan trained as a podiatrist in Australia and has worked in a range of clinical roles, including Aboriginal health, private practice, primary health care delivery in northern India, chief podiatrist and multidisciplinary service manager for a community health service. She completed her PhD at the National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Australian National University on the role of health outcomes in accountability systems for community health services. She moved to the UK in late 2001 to work as a research fellow and senior lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University. She has written a book for the South Yorkshire healthcare confederation on Intermediate Healthcare.