Achieving Interprofessional Cooperation at Regional Level in Wessex

Abstract

In the United Kingdom there are regional health authorities (RHAs) but no regional education authorities. On the other hand, there are local education authorities (LEAs) which in area or population terms are large, and some not much smaller than some of the RHAs, which can give a misleading impression when the terms ‘local’ and ‘regional’ are used. Since RHAs and LEAs rarely have boundaries which coincide, the achievement of any degree of cooperation between the two main bodies concerned with health education becomes difficult even if the will is there. Community physicians and health Education Officers are the two key health professionals with responsibility for the provision of a coordinated health education service to the community. The scope for health education in primary care is becoming increasingly recognized along with the potential for health promotion. Most General Practitioners (GPs) recognized the importance of interprofessional cooperation in health education, singling out the health visitor as a key figure in primary care.