A public health nursing post: the tools for getting started

This paper looks at the progress of an estate-based public health post in the first six months of its existence. It examines some of the tools used in this critical period, rather than describing the estate in detail. The activities of the post are reviewed in terms of information-gathering, action networking and analysis of needs and strengths. The paper describes a framework which seeks to reconcile the demand for community action with the development of mainstream services. The challenges of making wider use of the post's activities in the traditional primary health care team are explored. The development of health-gain indicators for the post is also highlighted.