"This book is timely. The increasing emphasis on the need for good leadership is signalled by the establishment across the world of new leadership development initiatives. In the United Kingdom, for example, this includes the new NHS National Leadership Council that will champion the transformation of leadership capacity and capability across the healthcare system. Effective leadership is crucial for improving the quality of care for patients and others and for developing staff. This highly readable and informative book, written by experts in the field, will be of interest to all nursing and allied health professionals, particularly those aspiring and emerging leaders." Professor David R Thompson, University of Leicester, UK "This is a book that all students studying leadership in health care have been waiting for. It provides an excellent broad perspective on aspects of leadership common to all disciplines. It aims to empower all health care providers to fully realise their potential as a leader and demonstrates how this can be achieved in reality. It is inspirational, exciting to read with its many different case studies, exercises to bring about reflection and should result in a more empowered and enlightened work force." Phil Halligan, University College Dublin, Ireland It is time to take stock, to promote and support our articulate and strategic thinkers, and to let them shine! This inspiring book is a wake-up call to nurses and allied health professionals to develop their leadership skills and to make a real difference to global health and social development. Veronica Bishop uses high profile historical case studies to illustrate the concept of leadership and put it into a context that is easily understood. The book demystifies the key elements of leadership, highlights the difference between leadership and management and identifies the essential components for successful leadership amongst health care professionals. The book incorporates: A new research based theory of leadership that embraces clinical excellence Educational and practice based concepts to support key leadership skills Case examples of real experiences Exercises for developing your own leadership skills at the end of each chapter Contributions from experts from a wide range of countries and with diverse knowledge bases make a topic that is often presented as highly complex and 'out of reach' readily accessible. Leadership for Nursing and Allied Health Care Professions is key reading for all nurses and allied health care professionals aspiring to be leaders. Contributors: Sue Antrobus, Mary Lovegrove, Annie Macleod, Abigail Masterson, Dawn Freshwater, Iain Graham, Philip Esterhuizen, David Stanley, Mike Saks, Veronica Bishop, Tyrone Goh. With a foreword by Tony Butterworth.