Health and Social CareBSc (Hons)

Diversity in Health & Social Care

On this module you will study theories and concepts of diversity, equality, equity, and inclusion within health and social care practice, fostering both a theoretical understanding and practical application of these principles. These will be achieved through lectures, seminars and case study simulations and critical reflections, which help bridge the gap between theory and practice. These activities will enable you to explore how your learning translates to real world settings and shapes your approach to working with diverse individuals in health and social care contexts. You will critically engage with relevant policies legislations, codes of practice and professional frameworks relating to issues of social justice in health and social care. Additionally, you will examine professional roles and skills including communication, teamwork and integrated care essential in challenging inequalities and implementing ethical, anti-discriminatory, and anti-oppressive practice.  By examining diverse identities and experiences shaped by class, race, culture, gender, religion, language, sexual orientation, age and disability, you will develop a reflective understanding of the challenges individuals face in accessing and experiencing care. This exploration will also focus on approaches to supporting individuals effectively and working inclusively with people from diverse backgrounds. You will be provided with opportunities to reflect on your own identity, lived experiences and personal and professional aspirations, and will be encouraged to keep a reflective journal of your learning throughout the module.

This module aims to:

- Introduce policies, legislations, professional frameworks and codes of practice relevant to promoting diversity, equality and ethical practice in health and social care

- Explore concepts of equality, equity, inclusion and diverse identities while addressing stigmatisation, labelling, stereotyping and discrimination

- Develop student’s self-awareness and reflective skills to understand how their identities, experiences and values can impact their practice

- Equip students with the tools to implement anti-oppressive and person centred approaches while addressing inequalities in health and social care

- Build academic and professional skills, including critical thinking, communication and reflective practice to support lifelong learning and career development.

Human Growth & Development

Introduction to Health & Social Care

This module offers a foundational understanding of the structure, regulations, policies, organisation, and delivery of health and social care systems and services. You will explore the roles and responsibilities of professionals within the system and examine how services are coordinated to meet the needs of diverse populations. You will be encouraged to analyse specific health and social care issues. By examining real-world scenarios, students will develop a nuanced understanding of the factors that contribute to health inequalities, including social determinants such as education, employment, and housing.

A key focus of the module is the practical application of health and social care policies. Using case studies, you will analyse how policies influence service provision, workforce planning, and population health outcomes. You will also explore the impact of social determinants of health, including education, employment, and housing, and how these contribute to health inequalities.

By the end of this module, you will be well-equipped with the basic knowledge and skills necessary to navigate and contribute effectively to the health and social care sector.

Research & Academic Practice

This module introduces you to key research concepts and academic practice within health and social care context. We will cover academic skills crucial for producing quality academic work in various formats, including writing, presenting and designing outputs. The emphasis is placed on you developing key academic and digital skills, such as using Microsoft Office tools, podcasting, video recordings, poster design, to engage with research, critically evaluate evidence and effectively present and communicate your academic work . You will be introduced to the core principles of research, including understanding sources of evidence and theoretical frameworks and research approaches.   These research and academic skills are embedded throughout the module via lectures, seminars, and assessments. You will also be introduced to the final year project pathway to begin considering the pathway you wish to pursue and potential topics as you engage with content across other modules.

This module aims to: 

Develop student’s academic study skills and digital literacy. 

Introduce students to research within the health and social care context and how to find academic and non-academic sources 

Develop students’ ability to reason critically and analytically from evidence  

Make connections between work based and academic knowledge, evaluating and appropriately using different sources (academic and non-academic)  

Consider the academic and professional skills required within health and social care including communication, teamwork, partnership working and ethical research and academic practice  

Explore ethical and unethical use of AI in academic work and H&SC contexts, with reference to London Metropolitan University guidance, responsible digital practice and academic integrity.

Develop an awareness and understanding of the cultures, principles and values that underpin research within health and social care 

Leadership in Health & Social Care

This module has been designed to critically develop students’ practical skills of leadership and management in the context of professional practice. Students will develop analytical skills for critical understanding of the role of leading teams in providing ethical and quality service in the context of resource constraints and changing social environment. The module will embed employability skills by simulating the work environment and will employ skills of problem solving and decision making, staff appraisal and professional behaviour required for provision of policy and practice in professional contexts.

The aims of the module are as follows:

You will develop an understanding of leadership styles;

You will gain the opportunity to explore your leadership style in teamwork;

You will be introduced to leadership models to underpin your practice;

You will reflect on your learning from group activities on this module.

Preparing for Practice

This module explores the concept of employability from a theoretical perspective and its practical relevance to your professional future. The focus of the module moves beyond a narrow approach to employability based on skills and attributes to encompass a more inclusive approach reflecting values, intellectual rigour and engagement. You will examine what is meant by being employable from this perspective and how to identify and plan creatively to meet your personal and professional aspirations. You will be encouraged to identify potential career pathways appropriate to your values and strengths and to think strategically about how you achieve these. This will involve equipping you with the personal and professional knowledge and practical skills necessary for career success in health and social care or related sectors. The development of employability skills as a part of your degree studies is a crucial element in preparing you to negotiate successfully the developing social, economic and professional context within which you will pursue your career.

As part of this, you will be expected to undertake a period of work experience in a setting relevant to your identified career aspirations. Workshops in preparation for this will take place early in the seminars.

You will develop key skills and knowledge to enhance your employability as follows:

theoretical and practical understanding of employability

awareness of your own values and strengths and areas for personal development

an understanding of the emerging context of careers in health and social care

the relationship between employability and equality

short and long-term career goals consistent with your individual aspirations

gain an in-depth insight into a work environment aligned to your goals

practical core employability skills (e.g. CV development, online presence, various interview skills and techniques such as the STARR technique)

Please note:

● Students will be contacted prior to the semester to provide support in securing a work based placement in good time.

● Students are responsible for applying for opportunities and to engage with the Module Team/Work Based Learning teams to assist them.

● The suitability of any opportunities will be assessed by the Module Team/Work Based Learning Team and all placements must meet Health and Safety requirements for Higher Education Work Placements.

● Those studying on a Student Visa will only be able to complete a work placement if it meets UKVI monitoring requirements including: approval of the placement dates and hours by the Placement Officer prior to starting the placement, submission of weekly timesheets for the hours undertaken, signed by their line manager/supervisor and continued engagement with the Placement Officer as well as the International Student Support and Compliance Team.

Researching Health & Social Care

This module will deepen your understanding of research methods and methodologies in health and social care contexts. You will engage with different research principles and research designs. You will also engage with contemporary ethical debates about research and practice. You will be provided with opportunities to apply research and academic skills as well as broaden knowledge related to critical thinking and critical appraisal techniques to evaluate the validity, reliability and generalisability of research findings, enabling you to effectively apply evidence in health and social care practice. You will also continue to refine your research interests and the project pathway you intend to pursue in your final year.You will be required to maintain a weekly log of your learning on key components of the research process and module topics covered through tasks completed on a workbook. These weekly tasks serve as the formative assessment for the module. Contents from the workbook will be used to develop your final portfolio, which serves as the final summative assessment on this module.

This module aims to:

• Develop your understanding of methods and methodologies used in researching health and social care
• Equip you with practical skills in generating research questions, formulating research aims and objectives
• Apply academic critical appraisal skills in evaluating different evidence, research designs and approaches, ensuring ethical evidence based decision making in Health and Social Care
• Enable students to identify codes of ethics in Health and Social Care research while placing research in wider policy and practice contexts · facilitate professional development by enhancing your ability to reflect on your research journey and growth

Social Policy & Society

This module offers an in-depth exploration of how social policies and legislations shape health and social care systems. The module will also explore ways in which interdisciplinary theories inform social policies decisions and how these impact individuals, communities and societies. You will develop a critical understanding of how social policies are formulated, implemented, and evaluated, with a particular focus on issues such as health, disability, housing, employment, and education. You will explore the intersections between social, cultural, political, and economic contexts and their role in shaping health outcomes. The module aims to enhance students' ability to evaluate health inequalities and the integration of social justice principles in policy-making. By exploring citizen engagement and advocacy, the module encourages students to reflect on the role of grassroots movements in shaping policy and fostering social change. Through comparative analyses such as the exploration of case studies and encouraging you to draw from your own knowledge and experience of policies you are familiar with, you will critically assess how different countries address similar health and social care issues. The module encourages you to reflect on how citizen engagement and advocacy movements contribute to policy development and social change. By the end of the module, you will be equipped to critically evaluate social policies and their impact on health inequalities, and to apply interdisciplinary knowledge and theories to diverse policy issues.

Understanding Public Health

Module description This module is designed to help students develop their knowledge on key theoretical and practical perspectives in public health. The module focuses on a social sciences understanding of public health, centering around the social determinants of health as a guiding lense for understanding health outcomes, inequalities and injustice.

The module also focuses on development of evidence-based public health skills such as using population health datasets, literature review and analysis of key policy and strategy to improve population health.

In this module, you will:

• Develop an understanding of the Public Health discipline
• Develop an understanding and knowledge of population health data and the skills to interpret this data
• Develop 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

There are two individual, summative assessments. In the first assessment, you will develop an educational poster presenting a public health issue facing the student population and its risk factors. You will print a physical copy and present your poster in our classroom. The second assessment is report on a public health issue and its potential policy solutions.

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 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. In particular, the module gives an overview of housing policy in the UK and of the underlying power relations which shape housing policy. You will examine why we have a shortage of affordable housing, a growing and costly private rented sector and a 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.

By the end of the module, you will:

1. Engage critically with key debates about the scale and causes of the housing crisis
2. Apply social scientific methods to an understanding of the social divisions in access to housing
3. Develop data handling and data analysis skills to collect and analyse relevant data on housing, homelessness and the housing crisis in the UK
4. Examine and evaluate how changes in housing policy in the UK reflects different economic and political ideologies

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