The book will provide a resource for students, which will underpin both the core and specialist modules that comprise this community specialist practitioner programme by exploring key concepts, current issues, relevant models and give practical examples/experiences via vignettes. The book is divided into four sections which have been developed from the four themes by the UKCC for the specialist practitioner programmes. Many of the issues discussed are complex, relating to more than one theme and links will be highlighted and developed between chapters and sections. One of the strengths of this book is the use of vignettes. These are in the form of a small piece of illustrative text written by district nurses which augments and enlivens the main text giving the reader insight and appreciation of real-life situations and enables them to link theory with practice.