Introduction

Attempts to improve health and tackle health inequalities require new ways of working that depend on changes in working relationships and practices between all stakeholders involved in public health and health promotion. A central focus of these new working practices is partnership working as joint or interagency alliances across agencies and among communities. The development of these partnerships and networks lies at the heart of social capital production and relates to the role of social processes in health development. Active participation by people to mobilise their community resources and to involve themselves in decision-making processes, mechanisms and health improvement programmes is fundamental to building sustainable approaches to health promotion and tackling inequalities in health and well-being that are growing within and between societies:

Partnership working in the health field has grown in importance over the last 20 years. It currently constitutes one of the core principles that underpin contemporary and future developments in health and social care policy at local, national and international levels. Equal partnerships make health and social care more effective by making it more available and acceptable (Rifkin, 1990).