Health and Social CareBSc (Hons)

Academic skills & literacy: finding & presenting information

The module is an academic skills module which serves to develop key academic skills in first year students. Its main focus is developing students’ skills in identifying, understanding, and presenting literature, data and information.

This module aims to:

- Develop key skills essential to all years of higher education, including researching, reading, writing, referencing, and critical thinking
- Develop ability to effectively read and comprehend academic literature
- Develop ability to present academic literature, both written and verbally
- Develop understanding of the quality and validity of different sources of information
- Provide opportunities for self-development and reflection

An introduction to Knowledge and Inquiry in Health & Social Care

This module begins by asking the students ‘what do we mean by knowledge’ in the context of health and social care and goes on to explore answers to this question. A key purpose of the module is to help students locate the concepts of evidence and research within a broader understanding of the importance of evidence-based practice but also to introduce students to the contested and contentious nature of what we mean by knowledge.

The module therefore aims to introduce students to:

 the types knowledge used in health and social care
 the nature and types of evidence in health and social care
 the role of evidence and research in health and social care practice
 various research methods and approaches used in health and social care research
 the processes involved in conducting health and social care research and the structure and format of published research

Introduction to Effective Practice in Health & Social Care

The module seeks to provide learners with opportunities development and reflection over key skills and issues in effective practice. It applies a combination of student engagement and active learning with theoretical concepts, principles and case studies to enable to critically evaluate communication and practice skills in the context of health and social care.

This module aims to:

• Develop ability to communicate effectively and professionally
• Develop key skills in team work and problem solving
• Promote understanding of key values and ethical principles in health and social care
• Develop self-awareness and self-reflection in relation to key issues in health and social care
• Develop ability for evaluation, analysis and critical thinking through the use of case studies and problem-based learning

Introduction to Health & Social Care; concepts of health & well-being

This module aims to introduce students to contemporary contexts of healthcare and social care whilst investigating current understanding of health and wellbeing and its application to the organisation and delivery of health and social care.

Personal & Professional Development; self-management

This module aims to:

Develop students personal and professional development skills and competences for effective interpersonal and professional relationships.

Develop students’ knowledge and skills for effective interpersonal and professional communication

Enable students to develop self-awareness and emotional intelligence for effective practice with service users and carers

Develop the knowledge and skills for effective reflective practitioners

Develop students’ ability to use reflective techniques in relation to work with individuals and groups in the health and social care settings

The Context of Health & Social Care: cultural, social & ethical perspectives

This module considers issues of culture, society and ethics and their implications for professional contexts in health and social care. Current policy, professional frameworks and legislation relating to identity, diversity, rights and inequality will be examined. The professional role in challenging inequalities and implementing ethical and anti-oppressive practice will be explored. Students will reflect on their own identities and experiences and will keep a reflective journal throughout the module

This module aims to:

- Introduce relevant legislation, professional frameworks, codes of practice and official guidance in all areas of social inequalities
- Understand concepts of equality and diverse identities and explore issues of stigmatisation, labelling, stereotyping and discrimination
- Consider that experience will be mediated by class, race, gender, culture, language, sexual orientation, age and disability through reflecting on their own identities and experiences
- Develop an understanding of the concepts of ethical & anti-oppresive practice and inclusion in their sphere of work and to reflect on their own practice in seeking to address inequalities

Academic skills & literacy: developing critical thinking

This module aims to enable students to:

- Apply prior knowledge and relate specific knowledge and skills to continuing development of academic literacy and skills

This module builds on knowledge and skills acquired in the first year of the course and specifically on the academic skills acquired in SH4053 Academic skills/literacy: finding & presenting information. In this, the second of three academic skills and literacy modules in the course, students will extend their academic literacy and skills to encompass obtaining increasingly specialised sources, identifying key aspects of information, establishing validity and processing information to create argument.

Advancing the health of the population: Understanding Public Health

This module aims to:

 Develop understanding of the Public Health discipline
 Develop understanding and knowledge of population health data and the skills to interpret this data
 Provide a social science based contextual and critical understanding of the impact of the social determinants of health on population health outcomes
 Develop an understanding and knowledge of population health issues and how to take an evidence-based approach to tackle these issues

Becoming employable

This module aims to enable students to:
- Apply prior knowledge and relate specific knowledge and skills to real-life situations in a work environment
- Develop new capabilities and skills relating to employment
- Engage in career development planning
- Undertake a work-based placement

The module is structured in two distinct stages in order to enhance student employability. During the Autumn semester, students will engage with a number of activities, both in seminars and individually, designed to help clarify career goals and identify personal and professional developmental needs associated with these goals.

Following on from this students will be expected to undertake a placement during which they will be able to focus on specific learning needs identified through the learning activities from the seminars.

Ethical Research in Professional Contexts

This module introduces students to both ethics and research through an exploration of principles, theories, and practices that inform decision making in professional contexts. It is taught in two interconnected parts. In Part 1 students will study ethics using sector specific professional codes of ethical conduct and will examine underlying normative ethical theories as they are represented within such codes. Current ethical debates for professional practice will be considered, providing opportunities for the critical application of different ethical perspectives to a range of contemporary moral issues and situations in professional contexts. In Part 2, students will be introduced to ethical research processes & research knowledge and skills relevant to professional and academic development. These research principles will provide a foundation for understanding approaches to social research and evidence based practice and research design.

This module aims to:

• Introduce students to professional codes of ethics and underlying ethical concepts and methods of ethical decision-making
• Provide students with a critical understanding of different ethical approaches to moral dilemmas in a range of practice-based professional contexts
• Provide opportunities for students to critically engage with current debates about ethical decision-making in professional practice
• Enable the development of skills in moral reasoning that can be applied in practical contexts
• Provide a foundation for understanding approaches to ethical social research and evidence based practice
• Facilitate the development of research skills and knowledge for professional and academic development in a range of practice-based professional contexts

Issues in Health, Illness & Society

This module provides an introduction to sociological perspectives of health, illness and society – often referred to as medical sociology. A sociological perspective provides a number of challenges to straightforward bio-medical approaches to health and illness. It asks questions about how health and illness conditions are defined, measured and treated in society as well as the implications for society and individuals. It also explores the wider power structures that are implicated in health and illness which forms the basis for applied learning and problem-solving in areas which students will confront as social professionals. Through exploring a range of topics at the interface of health, illness and society, students are encouraged to think critically about them through contemporary case studies.
Module Aims:
• To explore a social science approach to health, illness and society
• To examine contrasting perspectives on health and illness experiences, such as professional and service-user/lay perspectives
• To consider the role of social factors in the distribution of illness
• To develop critical thinking and analysis on contemporary health issues

Personal & Professional Development; managing professional relationships

This module aims to enable students to:
- Apply prior knowledge and relate specific knowledge and skills to situations in relevant work environments
- Develop new capabilities and skills relating to teamwork
- Engage in personal and professional development planning

This module builds on knowledge and skills acquired in the first year of the course and specifically on the intra- and inter-personal skills acquired in SH4052 Personal & Professional Development; self-management. In this, the second of three PPD modules in the course, students will expand their understanding of themselves to encompass their roles within teams within the health and social care workforce and the importance of appropriate communication in this context. Throughout the module, emphasis will be placed on service users and carers as key members of any team.
As well as examining theoretical aspects of teamwork, students will draw on their own experience of teamwork [for example, in their learning syndicates] to consider the stages of team development and how conflict and disagreement can be resolved within teams. In preparation for the final PPD module in the third year, students will begin to explore the role of followership within teams and its relationship to leadership.

Activities in this module will also assist students in identifying their learning needs for their placement as part of SH5W51 Becoming employable.

Academic skills & literacy: effective critical thinking

This module aims to enable students to:

- Further apply prior knowledge and relate specific knowledge and skills to continuing development of academic literacy and skills

This module builds on knowledge and skills acquired in the first and second years of the course and specifically on the academic skills acquired in SH4053 Academic skills/literacy: finding & presenting information and SH5054 Academic skills/literacy: Developing critical thinking. In this, the last of three academic skills and literacy modules in the course, students will extend their academic literacy and skills to enable them to produce work appropriate to this academic level with specific emphasis on the standard of work required by SH6P06 Project.

Effective responses to emerging issues in health & social care

This module builds on work done previously in the first year in Introduction to Health & Social Care; concepts of health & well-being and during the second year as part of Advancing the Health of the population: Understanding Public Health. This module aims to enable students to use and build on the knowledge and understanding gained in these modules to analyse and critically evaluate current and emerging responses to key challenges facing the health and social care sector. The modules therefore aims to ;

• provide a critical understanding of the emerging issues in contemporary health and social care at both policy and practice levels.

• consider the relationship between the social determinants of health and policy and practice responses to health and social care issues

• critically examine implicit theoretical perspectives underpinning key approaches to tackling health inequalities.

• develop understanding of a range of theoretical perspectives related to health creation and initiatives to tackle health inequalities; social prescribing, asset-based approaches, community development.

• consider the practical and ethical implications for the health and social workforce of current and emerging responses to a range issues

Personal & Professional Development; management & leadership of others

The module focuses on the student’s personal and professional development in preparation for graduation from the Course. There is particular emphasis on the development of graduate skills and competencies with a focus on the management and leadership of others. Emergent graduate skills are developed to prepare the student for professional practice and/or further studies.

Key skills and knowledge gained on the module include:

Team-work skills; communication skills; leadership and management skills ; values-based leadership in healthcare; NHS workforce Race Equality Standards; the Skills for Care Leadership Qualities Framework; collaborative leadership skills ; NHS Five Year forward View and Long Term Plan; leadership for inclusivity and diversity;

Project

This module draws together strands from a number of modules students have previously undertaken and are concurrently studying. Principally, this builds on students’ understanding of the nature of knowledge and evidence in health and social care contexts derived from Introduction to Knowledge and Inquiry in Health & Social Care in the first year and on the more specific focus on research in Ethical Research & Practice in the second year. The specific focus of the work carried out by individual students as part of this module will also be informed by their broader examination of health and social care issues in other modules across the course as a whole.

The module therefore aims to:

- enhance students’ understanding of approaches to research and evaluation
- enable students to engage actively with research methods and findings relating to their profession
- enable students to generate research questions and formulate a research proposal
- enable students to integrate and apply the skills and knowledge base underpinning their professional education in a sustained piece of independent investigation

Global Health

Global Health is a Level 6 module for the BSc Health and Social Care Course. The Module aims to give students an opportunity to critically study the interconnectedness of key challenges of human development and human health and healthcare across nations within global contexts. It will provide content that will help students understand the key global challenges that affect human health and healthcare and cause health inequalities and inequities across the nations. The Module will also provide an opportunity to study key global actors and global interventions to improve human health of all people across nations and promote health equities. This will require students to critique global co-operation and partnership in fighting key challenges of global human health and healthcare.
Therefore, the Module aims are to:
• develop and produce graduates with global citizenship attributes by embedding the notion of ‘think globally and act locally’ (‘think globally for local actions’) in its curriculum
• develop a critical knowledge base of concepts, principles, measurements and theories of global health and healthcare based on the notion of ‘global health crisis’
• build a critical understanding of the key challenges of the growing global interconnectedness on global human health and healthcare
• identify and critique the determinants and evidence of global health inequalities and inequities
• examine the influence and contribution of health systems in improving human health around the world
• consider complexities in solving global health and healthcare problems found in past and contemporary case-studies and draw implications from them for future research, policy and practice in global health

Homelessness and Housing Policy

In this module, you will look at one of the most pressing social issues in the UK today – that of the cost and shortage of housing and of the shortage of affordable housing in particular. Living in a safe, comfortable and secure home is a human right, essential to our wellbeing. However, it is widely agreed that we have a housing crisis in the UK. This crisis is perhaps especially acute in London but it is a crisis which affects much of the country. Over the past ten years, the cost of housing, including rents in the private rented sector have spiralled while the number of social rented homes has continued to fall and the numbers of people who are homeless or living in temporary accommodation has risen. In this module, you will look at the scale and at the underlying causes of the housing crisis in the UK. You will look at the shortage of affordable housing, the growth of the private rented sector and at the collapse of social rented housing. You will also look at how access to housing and the housing market reflects wider social divisions in terms of class, ethnicity and gender. The module places housing and housing policy at the core of our understanding of society, social divisions and social policy.

The module focuses on housing policy and on social housing, looking at the history of social housing in the UK and at changes in housing policy since the 1980s. The module also looks at the growth of homelessness and at the underlying causes of the growing level of homelessness. You will look at homelessness policy, at good practice models of how to tackle homelessness and at the link between housing and poverty and the importance of both housing and welfare policy as instruments of poverty reduction.

The aims of the module are to:

• understand what the housing market is and how it works
• develop an understanding of the problems in accessing decent housing in the UK, how widespread the problems are, which groups suffer most and why these problems appear to have worsened over recent years
• develop data handling and data analysis skills to collect and analyse relevant data on housing and the housing crisis in the UK
• develop and demonstrate an understanding of housing policy and housing policy changes in the UK
• develop policy analysis and policy evaluation skills
• understand how the housing market reflects the different economic and political ideologies which shape housing policy

Housing Issues and Housing Solutions

Housing Issues and Housing Solutions outlines the key issues that face people working in housing, residents and community workers. It will focus on a practical approach to dealing with community-related & housing issues, their causes and solutions. It will examine the rights and obligations of residents and identify good practice in key management areas such as resident involvement, dealing with anti-social behaviour and disrepair. Combined with other modules in the faculty, such as ‘Housing and Homelessness’, this module provides a housing pathway for students wishing to develop or further their careers in this area.

The module aims to:

1. Place changes in housing management in the context of wider social, economic and organisational changes; (A01)
2. Introduce the key practical issues facing housing professionals, and good practice in addressing these issues; (A02)
3. Identify ways in which housing service users and community workers can challenge poor performance and get involved in service improvement; (A03)
4. Examine the benefits and challenges of partnership working in dealing with housing issues; (A04)
5. Explain current discussions on the balance of rights and responsibilities for social housing tenants and other local residents. (A05)

Mental health & well being

This module provides opportunities for students to develop their understanding of key issues in mental health practice and policy, as well as critically discuss relevant theoretical and conceptual issues relating to mental health.

The module aims to:

- Develop understanding of key concepts in mental health and well-being
- Develop awareness of mental health diagnoses and implications of these to the individual, health services, and wider society
- Develop knowledge of key policy and practice issues in mental health through
- Provide opportunities to critically evaluate and reflect upon models and theories of mental health and well-being