"'This welcome third edition updates a most useful textbook for UK social science and social policy students. Its policy analysis is also particularly relevant to professional readers seeking to know how we arrived at the state we're in.'" Jill Manthorpe, Director of the Social Care Workforce Research Unit, King's College London? ?"This book stands out because it cogently explores how the NHS and social care systems work together - where they succeed and where they fail?.? Indispensable." Professor Sir Julian Le Grand, London School of Economics "This comprehensive, insightful and fully updated introduction offers social policy, health and social care professionals and students a thorough and accessible grounding in today's pressing issues." Dr David Orr, Senior Lecturer in Social Work, School of Education and Social Work, University of Sussex