Health and Social Care BSc (Hons)

This module introduces students to the key principles, theories, and concepts of health psychology. It aims to provide an understanding of how psychological, social, and behavioural factors influence health, illness, and healthcare. Students will explore topics such as health behaviour change, the biopsychosocial model, stress, and the psychological impact of chronic illness. Students will be introduced to applied health psychology, and its contribution to improving the health of clients in the Health and Social Care field.

This module offers a comprehensive introduction to health and social care, covering fundamental principles and dimensions of health and wellness. Students will engage in hands-on learning and discussions, focusing on the current landscape of health and social care and the evolving demands on professionals. Students will explore the development, structure, and delivery of health and social care services, examining roles, responsibilities, and ethical considerations in supporting individual and community well-being. Emphasis will be placed on the discussion of current health and social care challenges, from patient/service user, public and worker perspectives.

This module builds on the first ‘Being a Professional in Health and Social Care’ module from semester 1, with a stronger focus on evidence-based practice and becoming more confident with understanding and using published research. Students will be engaged with the foundations of good research practice including the fundamentals of qualitative and quantitative research methods, and as the module progresses moving towards an appreciation of how evidence-based practice is linked to clinical and community care. Students will be exposed to examples from research and practice, whilst continuing to develop their own reflective practice to place the module in context.

The module will offer students the opportunity to learn about the structure and function of the human body. The students will explore optimal system functions of the body and will also explore the dietary and lifestyle factors that have been shown to contribute to the healthy functioning of the human body.

This module will explore the underpinning sociological perspectives that underpin equitable health and social care practice. Students will be introduced to key sociological theories and concepts relevant to health and social care. Students will explore how societal factors shape health outcomes and care experiences and will develop critical thinking regarding health inequalities and social determinants of health. The module will adopt an intersectional approach and include contemporary approaches to anti-discriminatory practice. Students will be encouraged to reflect on their own beliefs/ belief system and how this impacts supporting and working with diverse individuals.

This module is the first step to being a professional in health and social care and will engage students in developing their understanding of what professionalism looks like. The module has key strands running throughout: enhancing study skills to ensure everyone has a strong foundation in their academic competencies; becoming familiar with expectations for working both at University level and in practice; as well as considering the values of health and social care professionals and why they are important. Finally, the module will introduce some roles across the health and care sectors and consider what inter/multi-professional working looks like, as well as introducing being a reflective practitioner.

This module will introduce social epidemiology, exploring the principles of this discipline related to the study of health and social inequalities using current evidence and engaging in current debates. Students will engage in theoretical understandings of how the social environment produces health outcomes, how social phenomena can be measures and how health inequalities can be addressed.

This module will enable students to gain work experience and promote work-related learning. The module focuses on creating an understanding of graduate level roles within the health and social care sector and students will undertake work experience in a setting of their choice (within Health and Social Care). This module will therefore allow students to engage directly with health and social care settings, applying theoretical knowledge in real-world contexts. Emphasis is placed on developing reflective practice, critical thinking and professional skills through gaining work experience hours, structured reflection exercises, in addition to developing project ideas to improve practice through their reflections.

This module will explore and examine a range of health interventions designed to improve overall human health across the lifespan (children, adults and older people). Interventions to prevent disease, treat or reduce the impact of disease and improve the functional movement during recovery from illness/disease will be explored and critically examined. Focus will be on current interventions that have been developed to improve or change one or more major health behaviours (e.g. physical inactivity, poor nutrition, stress, smoking etc). The clustered effects of these behaviours directly account for almost half of overall premature deaths in the UK, therefore, the understanding and application of preventive and therapeutic interventions in Health and Social Care practice is important for practitioners to understand.

At level 4, students were introduced to the socio-political and legislative perspectives of social policy at national, regional and local levels. This module advances students’ knowledge and understanding of social policy through exploring current perspectives, and through examining contemporary processes in the commissioning of health and social care services within a mixed economy and the implications for service provision.

This module will provide students with the skills to manage and lead effectively in complex, dynamic and interprofessional/multidisciplinary organisations. Students will critically debate and discuss issues around leadership in healthcare today; styles of management and the development of management skills to balance innovation and risk in an ever evolving arena; and the management of change necessary to manage issues such as the ageing population and the growth of technology in health and social care today.

At level 4 students were introduced to basic quantitative research skills. At level 5 students widened their appreciation of research by exploring the research process, ethics, methods, quantitative study design, and qualitative methodologies. This module builds upon this knowledge and understanding of research and students are required to apply this knowledge and, with supervision, develop, conduct and report their own piece of primary research.