Overview
In an effort to bridge the gap between health and social care provision, practitioners are encouraged to work together, often in new ways, to ensure that patients receive a good quality, consistent level of care, whether it is funded and delivered by the NHS or local government. Responsibility for ensuring patients needs are met – in a safe way that respects them as individuals - lies with providers and commissioners of services, but day-to-day contact is primarily with individual practitioners and teams of health care professionals. Fostering leadership development and embracing change are central to making improvements in the experiences of service users and pivotal to the delivery of high quality patient centred services.
Health and social care practitioners are well placed to negotiate change improvements as their day-to-day work is based on problem analysis and resolution. However, negotiated service improvement is dependent on agents of change being comfortable with taking risks and making breaks with the norm. They should also be skilled at identifying personnel who possess knowledge and skills, which are not immediately available within the area for change, suggesting a potential for cross discipline working.
Social norms have impacted on health and social care and as expectations have risen, so has the need for cost containment, restructuring of practice, information technology and enhanced interpersonal skills. Change leaders and change adopters are faced with tremendous pressures to produce high quality care inexpensively and correctly and such demands suggest that creative approaches are required.
For an organisation to successfully navigate the complexities of change, careful attention needs to be directed towards the development of individuals and the workforce, whilst keeping the vision of the organisation in sharp focus. Fundamental to the acceptance of the change culture is the ability of work teams to shift perspectives, relearn and redesign roles within environments which are suffused with knowledge skills and attitudes which view change as opportunity for growth through personal development, improved service planning and delivery and collaborative working. This requires exploration of beliefs, values and attitudes to facilitate a depth of understanding that will accept that traditional approaches to service planning and delivery need to be challenged and modified to fit the needs of contemporary health care.
Content and Modules
Level 6 (Undergraduate)
Pre-requisites: Introduction to Research (or similar) at intermediate level (level 5) for study at level 6. Access to a relevant practice setting.
Excluded Combinations: A student who has studied this module at level 6, may not study the same module at level 7.
This module is designed to enable practitioners from a wide range of practice areas to increase their understanding and knowledge of current issues in health care, and to critically explore care in their own field of practice. Over the past few years, major changes in health policy have impacted on how practitioners function in the workplace. The module will take a close look at the influence of government policies, the environment of care, collaborative working, the evidence base for practice, and ethical dilemmas facing those involved in the delivery of health care. Although participants will come from a wide range of backgrounds, they will have shared and experienced many dilemmas in practice and with this in mind different approaches to solving these dilemmas will be explored. Team building, empowerment of others, and leadership problems will be examined, and students will be encouraged to examine their own and fellow students practice with the aim of decreasing future isolation in the workplace.
Aims
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Encourage the student to increase the depth and breadth of their knowledge relating to health and social policy in their field of practice.
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Enable the student to review and plan for change, taking account of theories of change, management and leadership.
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Facilitate the student in formulating a coherent argument, based on analysed data, to form the basis for a critical appraisal of care in their field of practice.
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Promote an atmosphere whereby new and improved strategies for the care and management of persons in the student’s field of practice are examined and justified.
Learning Outcomes
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Clearly identify and consider knowledge from diverse sources that contribute to enhanced practice.
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Critically discuss the complexity and problematic nature of care and the challenge of changes to care delivery.
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Engage in professional dialogue with a range of professional colleagues and service partners to justify a potential service improvement in the student’s field of practice.
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Reflect critically on the student’s own skills, and the knowledge and skills required to shift care in the direction of best practice.
Summative Assessment
Presentation (50% weighting)
A 15 minute presentation and 10 minutes professional dialogue detailing the strategies and processes which will be used to facilitate an identified change and allows the student the opportunity to detail the implementation of a proposed change.
The practitioner is required to make a presentation that incorporates an in-depth critical analysis of care in their field of practice and explores how the practitioner can enhance the delivery of care through a planned service improvement in the student’s field of practice. In addition to collecting and critically analysing data which will support the best possible outcome, there must be justification of the proposed change, a supporting action plan, and a 250-300 summary paper. This presentation will be to professional colleagues, invited service partners, and at least one of the module leaders (or equivalent). The student must engage in professional dialogue related to their presentation. Word limit: equivalent to 3000 words.
Negotiation should take account of constraints from the organisation. In the first instance, there should be negotiation between the student and the workplace manager to identify realistic and achievable change.
Thereafter the student will discuss approaches and plans for the change with one of the module leaders, the student’s personal tutor or an expert in the selected change activity. While it is not envisaged that the change/service improvement will be implemented in the time frame of the module, it is anticipated the implementation is a possible outcome.
Assignment (50% weighting)
Based on the presentation, the assignment allows the student the opportunity to explore the strengths and limitations which can affect the change. The student is required to critically analyse their professional skills and leadership skills, and the knowledge and skills required to foster change and enhance the delivery of health and/or social care in the student’s field of practice. Word limit: 3000 - 3500 words.
Both parts of assessment to be completed and a pass achieve for both parts in order to achieve a pass for the module.
Level 7 (Postgraduate)
Pre-requisites: Access to a relevant practice setting. Evidence Based Practice (or similar literature review/research dissertation).
Excluded Combinations: A student who has studied this module at level 6, may not study the same module at level 7.
This module aims to support practitioners to view change as desirable, comfortable and invigorating. It is no longer sufficient to place all the emphasis on effective outcomes; the people involved require support to manage the emotional cycle of change, understand the systems and practices in place and to feel that they are valued and respected for the part they play in transforming twenty – first century health care.
The uniqueness of this module is that it will enable students to develop their professional knowledge and awareness of the wider political arena, critically evaluate the field of care in which they practice, whilst furthering their self-awareness and professional development.
Aims
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Facilitate the student’s personal and professional development in relation to enhanced leadership skills and change processes, and the impact health and social care policy has in their field of practice.
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Develop knowledge of systems and practices that will enhance or limit the effectiveness of change activities, and enable the student to critically examine opportunities, threats and challenges in change situations.
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Enable the student to critically explore strategies and skills for workforce development and support, and justify approaches adopted to initiate and support change experiences in the student’s field of practice.
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Facilitate justifiable service improvement which has the potential to enhance the quality of person centred care in the student’s field of practice.
Learning Outcomes
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Critically review relevant systems and policies that impact on practice, and the impact this has on moving best practice forward.
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Critically evaluate the ways in which interpersonal relationships influence the process of change and change outcomes.
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Apply knowledge of change processes and strategies to a negotiated service improvement, and justify the approaches and strategies adopted to maximise effectiveness to a range of professional colleagues and service partners.
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Critically evaluate the student’s own skills, and the knowledge and skills individual practitioners and health care teams require to shift care in the direction of best practice.
Summative Assessment
Presentation (100% weighting)
A student led presentation detailing the strategies and processes which have/will be used to facilitate the identified change.
The practitioner is required to make a presentation that incorporates an in-depth critical evaluation of care in their field of practice and explores how the practitioner can enhance the delivery of care through a planned service improvement in the student’s field of practice. In addition to collecting and critically evaluating data which will support the best possible outcome, there must be justification of the implemented change, an evaluation of progress to date, and a 250-300 summary paper including recommendations. This presentation will be to professional colleagues, invited service partners, and at least one of the module leaders (or equivalent). The student must engage in professional dialogue related to their presentation. Word limit: equivalent to 3000 words.