Dr Lisa Arai is a social and public health scientist with 25 years’ research and teaching experience. Her research interests are in the health of children and young people. She is based at Solent University and the University of Northampton in the United Kingdom. Lisa has published widely and is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Public Health.

• 1.Introduction. 2. The essential study skills for health and social care students. 3.Research, the research ‘basics’ and evidence-based practice. 4.The policy and legislative backdrop to health and social care practice in the United Kingdom. 5.Becoming a health and social care professional. 6.Working with others: Supervision and mentoring. 7.The nuts and bolts of the human body. 8.Caring for people with long-term conditions and multimorbidity: A health and social care perspective. 9.Person-centred care: A paramount concept in health and social care. 10.Power, creativity and service user involvement in social work and health and social care education. 11.Ethics and ethical dilemmas in health and social care. 12.Introduction to public health and health promotion. 13.The theory and practice of service improvement in health and social care.