Health & Social Care (including foundation year) BSc (Hons)

This module aims to:

• clarify what is meant by critical thinking, reasoning and argument
• explore the importance of examining knowledge critically in academic practice
• provide the opportunity for students to apply their understanding to academic practices in their particular pathway
• develop students’ critical thinking and reasoning skills so that they are able to assess, appreciate and defend a variety of beliefs and values, in particular:
• encouraging students to consider the importance of different points of view
• encouraging students to recognise the complexity surrounding many issues
• developing a rational approach to analysing and evaluating argument

developing the skills needed to form and defend well-reasoned arguments, both orally and in writing.

This module explores introductory ideas around the themes of self and society, in order to:

• introduce students to academic study in the Social Sciences and Humanities at H.E level
• encourage students to reflect on their own identities, as well as their skills and qualities and how they might further develop them through their H.E studies
• introduce and develop academic literacy, critical thinking and analytical skills through engagement with and production of a range of short Social Science and Humanities themed texts
• introduce the reflective practice and support students to become effective, self-aware learners
• introduce and develop digital literacy skills
• develop organisational, planning and time management skills
• guide students to constructively use feedback to improve academic work

This module aims to:

• To introduce students to the study of media, crime and ‘race’.
• To enable students to develop their reading and seminar skills and to respond critically and analytically to a range of texts.
• To enable students to search, find and use appropriate digital resources, and further develop and consolidate academic skills to enhance their learning experience.

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.

On successful completion of this module students will be able to:

• Understand different health and social care approaches and provisions
• Identify health and social care issues within a specific population
• Describe selected health and social care policies

Identify the social determinants of health and the relationship to health inequalities.

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.

The module seeks to provide learners with opportunities for 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 the ability to communicate effectively and professionally
• Develop key skills in teamwork 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.

This module aims to:

• Develop an 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

On completion of this module students will be able to:

• Explain and discuss the three pillars of Public Health being Health Protection, Healthcare Public Health, and Health Promotion
• Understand and discuss the determinants of health
• Interpret and explain population health data
• Take an evidence-based approach to public health decisions
• Think critically about contemporary issues in public health

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 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.

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 an 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 of issues

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 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.

Homelessness and Housing Policy (optional)

The module examines the history of housing policy in the UK, focussing in particular on the shift to neo-liberal housing policies from the 1980s. Key contemporary housing issues and the key causes of the current ‘housing crisis’ in London and the UK are examined.

Mental Health & Well-being (optional)

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 an 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.

Global Health (optional)

This 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

Housing Issues and Housing Solutions (optional)

The module examines the history of housing policy in the UK, focussing in particular on the shift to neo-liberal housing policies from the 1980s. Key contemporary housing issues and the key causes of the current ‘housing crisis’ in London and the UK are examined.

The module aims to:

• Place changes in housing management in the context of wider social, economic and organisational changes
• Introduce the key practical issues facing housing professionals, and good practice in addressing these issues
• Identify ways in which housing service users and community workers can challenge poor performance and get involved in service improvement
• Examine the benefits and challenges of partnership working in dealing with housing issues

Explain current discussions on the balance of rights and responsibilities for social housing tenants and other local residents.