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 S/NVQ 2 Health and Social Care
 Lynda Mason, Janet Murdoch, Linda Lightfoot and Jane Makey,
 Hodder Arnold
 ISBN 0340815779, £16.99

 STAR RATING 1/5


A good social care worker is responsive, reliable and lively. It’s remarkable that so many manage to survive S/NVQs without turning into zombies, writes John Burton.

But I’m afraid that this near- 300-pager is as dull as its subject. The little black and white photos are dull, and the writing is dull – repetitive, superficial, and unchallenging. A book about

hands-on social care without an in-depth discussion of continence is not much help to care workers (or to the people they’re working with), whether they can pass their S/NVQ without it or not.

While the authors say that clear, direct communication is important, they don’t seem to be able to achieve it themselves. They can’t say “wipe your bottom”; they say “carry out your own intimate procedures”.

They also say: “It is always preferable to use toilet facilitieswhenever possible, and individuals should be offered that choice even though it may be quicker for them to use a commode beside their bed.” Really?

This book fits perfectly with the uninspiring learning and training culture that smothers our work. Such a waste of time, talent and money.

John Burton is an independent social care consultant and author of Managing Residential Care