Integrating Everything

'Health practice has always been many things, with many constraints and pressures. These things have changed over time and still vary from place to place. Being a practitioner here and now is, from one perspective, no different to the way it has always been. It involves integration. It involves weaving together many threads into one whole tapestry. It involves taking a constrained and limited palate and painting freely. It may be a science, it may be technical, it may be psychological, it may be spiritual, but it is always an art, because it integrates everything in order to create. And what we create is better health.' Justin Amery This extraordinary new series fills a void in practitioner development and well-being. The books take a reflective step back from the tick-box, target-driven and increasingly regulated world of 21st century health practice; and invite us to revisit what health and health practice actually are. Building carefully on the science and philosophy of health, each book addresses the messy, complex and often chaotic world of real-life health practice and offers an ancient but now almost revolutionary understanding for students and experienced practitioners alike: that health practice is a fundamentally creative and compassionate activity. The series as a whole helps practitioners to redefine and recreate their daily practice in ways that are healthier for both patients and practitioners. The books provide a welcome antidote to demoralisation and burn-out amongst practitioners, reversing cynicism and reviving our feeling of pride in, and our understanding of, health practice. By observing practice life through different lenses, they encourage the development of efficiency, effectiveness and, above all, satisfaction. The fourth book in the series, The Integrated Practitioner: Integrating Everything, considers the 'we', the 'me' and the 'other' perspectives of books 1-3 and integrates everything into 'health practice' as a single entity. It recognises the multifaceted nature of healthcare, its different constraints and varied pressures, but also views it from a new perspective, fostering a happier, healthier and more skilful whole within the real-life, complex and often messy world of health practice. Brilliantly written, practitioners, students and trainees and GP trainers will find the enlightening, witty, conversational style a joy to read.

I am a full- time practising family practitioner and children's palliative care specialist doctor working in the UK. I have also spent some years working in Uganda and other sub- Saharan African countries. I enjoy teaching, writing and mentoring. I am a medical student tutor at the University of Oxford, a trainer in general practice, and I have designed and set up children's palliative care courses for health professionals in the UK and Africa. I have worked with 'failing practices' to help them turn round; and also with health professionals who are struggling (as we all do from time to time). I have always had an interest in philosophy and spirituality, and have studied this at postgraduate level. I have carried out some research into education and training of health professionals around the world and I continue to explore that interest. I have previously written two books: Children's Palliative Care in Africa (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009) and the Association for Children's Palliative Care (ACT) Handbook of Children's Palliative Care for GPs (Bristol: ACT, 2011). I particularly enjoy reading and writing poetry. At heart, though, I am a practitioner and a generalist. What is more, as you can probably see, I am rather a jack of all trades, and a master of none. I have been motivated to write this book as I am hoping to explore practical ways of practising health that help us all, patients and practitioners alike, to become a little more healthy, and a little more whole.

Book 4 Integrating Everything: Introduction to the series Section One: Creating in Practice Chapter 1: The fundamental creativity of health practice . A quick recap Chapter 2: Health as a creation Chapter 3: What is creativity? Chapter 4: The infinite world of practice (and the 'no-model model') Two: Having a Go Chapter 5: This is it Chapter 6: Clearing Chapter 7: Awakening Chapter 8: Connecting Chapter 9: Trust your intuition (but check it too) Chapter 10: Mapping Chapter 11: Negotiating Chapter 12: Letting go Chapter 13: Models and reality Chapter 14: Creating better health Chapter 15: Integrating everything. Conclusion: power, beauty and love