BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care Management (Accelerated)

The course aims to:

• Develop knowledge and understanding of the key functional areas of health and social care organisations, their external environment and management practices.
• Provide knowledge, concepts and principles of health and social care operations.
• Develop an understanding of the key roles of management with an ability to apply this understanding to work-based problems.
• Prepare students with the skills and competencies for a successful career in health and social care management.

Entry to this programme is governed by the regulations of the University of Chichester and requires one of the following:

• A minimum of three ‘A-Level’ passes (or High School Diploma to age 18 where it is deemed equivalent), or
• A relevant Pearson/Edexcel BTEC National Diploma at Level 3 or equivalent in Health and Social Care or Health care assistant qualification.

• An International Baccalaureate (28 points), or

• A recognised and relevant Foundation/Access to Higher Education course,

• A current DBS Check/Certificate – should not have a criminal background which might prevent them from working with young people or vulnerable adults. (If you do not have a DBS and wish to apply for one, please click here for more information on how to apply).

All students whose first language is not English and have not done the last two years of their education in English must meet a minimum English language requirement before commencing their programme. To join an honours undergraduate programme, they must pass our initial assessment Numeracy and Literacy test and must achieve Level 1. Other equivalent English language tests at that level will be accepted.

International students should pass the IELTS for UKVI Test Score of 5.5 (Listening: 5.5; Speaking: 5.5 Reading: 5.5; Writing: 5.5) to be eligible for the BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care Management (Accelerated Degree).

As the IELTS tests are not conducted by LSME, prospective international students must contact their respective local centres to arrange a suitable date and time for the test and ensure the results are available before they apply to LSME.

For further information on the application process for international students, visit https://lsme.ac.uk/students/international-students/

• Term 1
  • Mod. 1: Critical Thinking Skills (20 cr.)
  • Mod. 2: Personal and Professional Skills for Management (20 cr.)
• Term 2
  • Mod. 3: Organisation Theory (20 cr.)
  • Mod. 4: Operations Management, Quality and Excellence (20 cr.)
• Term 3
  • Mod. 5: Ethical Foundations of Health and Social Care  (20 cr.)
  • Mod. 6: UK Healthcare Policy (20 cr.)

• Term 4
  • Mod. 7: Project Management (20 cr.)
  • Mod. 8: Strategic Human Resource Management (20 cr.)
• Term 5
  • Mod. 9: Inter-professional Working in Health & Social Care (20 cr.)
  • Mod. 10: The Legal and Regulatory Framework (20 cr.)
• Term 6
  • Mod. 11: Service Planning and Budgeting (20 cr.)
  • Mod. 12: Research Methodology* (20 cr.)

• Term 7
  • Mod. 13: Leadership in Health & Social Care (20 cr.)
  • Mod. 14: Contemporary Issues in Health & Social Care (20 cr.)
• Term 8
  • Mod. 15: Managing Change (20 cr.)
  • Mod. 16: Managing Risk (20 cr.)
  • Research Project* (40 cr.)

* Module 12: Research Methodology includes a requirement for students to identify a suitable project and develop an outline for approval. International students may write up their Research Project after they have returned to their own country reducing the number of modules they take in the UK. (Students would continue to be supported whilst writing up their project via online learning.)

YEAR ONE (8 Compulsory Modules)

Critical Thinking Skills

Critical thinking is the ability to question what we read, hear and/or see. In all academic disciplines there are differences of opinion, conflicting evidence and uncertainty and a key skill in higher education is the ability to assess the evidence and arguments presented by others. This involves researching the topic, analysing the arguments given by different researchers in the field, and weighing up the evidence so that you can form your own conclusions about whose point of view you agree with and why. 

Personal and Professional Skills for Management

The module examines the personal and professional skills needed to successfully manage individuals in a business context. People are critical to the maximisation of operational performance and therefore an understanding of how to effectively communicate and influence workplace behaviour is a core skill of management. Managers also need to understand how inter-personal conflict arises with an ability to coach and develop people in order to achieve a productive workforce. 

Ethical Foundations of Health and Social Care

The module considers the theoretical foundations of individual and organisational ethics in a health and social care setting. The principles that are developed create a framework that can be used to respond to typical everyday ethical challenges and situations. The aim is for an ethically ‘conscious’ approach whereby principles can be applied flexibly and confidently when responding to problems. The final part of the module examines how a positive ethical climate can be developed in a healthcare organisation including compliance and evaluation. 

UK Healthcare Policy

The module examines the development of health policy and the organisation and delivery of UK health services since the creation of the NHS in 1948. In particular, what the NHS aims to achieve and how policies are developed, implemented and evaluated. The aim is to identify the main social, economic and political influences that have shaped health policy, explore where decision-making power lies, analyse attempts to improve quality and performance, and consider what healthcare in the UK might look like in the future. 

Organisation Theory

Whether formal or informal, the efficiency and effectiveness of organisations has a major impact on innovation, employment and standards of living. After examining early theories of how organisations evolved, the module analyses different organisational structures in the context of their environment and how, over time, changes in the environment can change the nature and function of organisations. The module concludes by considering how technological advances are forcing organisations to become less hierarchical and more flexible. 

Operations Management, Quality and Excellence

In this module four aspects of operations management in a health and social care setting are examined. The first considers who ‘customers’ are and their expectations. The second explores what excellence and quality mean in the context of health and social care. The third analyses the process of management control including introducing lean processes into a healthcare environment, and the final part introduces various techniques for planning and managing the process of introducing service improvements. 

Project Management

The management of a project is usually thought to be a success if it achieves its objectives against stated criteria within an agreed timescale and budget. Whether undertaking a major organisational change or a simple re-organisation of procedures, project management skills are essential in health and social care. The module examines four elements of managing a project; defining desired outcomes and objectives, creating a project plan, managing the process and evaluating outcomes with a project report. 

Strategic Human Resource Management

Research has shown that organisations with strategic human resource policies have less absenteeism and lower staff turnover. Strategic human resource management (HRM) links the HRM policies of an organisation to its strategic direction. Based on a belief that the skills, expertise, experience and knowledge of all of its employees contributes to the achievement of an organisation’s goals, strategic HRM aligns functional human resource policies, such as recruitment, reward systems, training and performance management with organisational policy.

YEAR Two ( 8 Compulsory Modules and Research Project)

Inter-professional Working in Health & Social Care

The 2012 Health and Social Care Act stipulated that the NHS should secure integrated care where it will improve quality and reduce inequalities in accessing services or improving outcomes. The module examines the different types of partnership working and what factors make a partnership successful, i.e. all participants have a personal stake in the partnership, work towards a common goal, have a similar ethos and work together with respect, trust and value each partner’s contribution. 

The Legal and Regulatory Framework

It is not expected that managers in the healthcare sector have a detailed understanding of the legislation covering all aspects of health and social care. Rather they need a working knowledge of the relevant legislation to the extent that they can identify where professional, in-depth expertise may be needed. The module examines the basis of UK law and legislation covering employment in the workplace, before considering legislation specific to the healthcare sector and the professional regulatory system covering both individuals and institutions. 

Service Planning and Budgeting

Combining service planning with budgeting reflects a growing understanding in the health and social care sector that plans and budgets should be linked if not fully integrated. This approach can improve planning, performance assessment and decision making. The aim of the module is to enable students to understand how to plan services and interpret budget statements as a holistic process. In this way service management can become more efficient and effective, leading to the opportunity to identify waste and cut costs. 

Research Methodology

The module lays the groundwork for undertaking a research project in the final year of the programme. In particular, it examines different research philosophies together with the basic elements of research design. Core skills that are developed include selecting an appropriate method of data collection and analysis, identifying relevant information sources, preparing and collecting data, analysing data using different approaches for qualitative and quantitative research, and writing the report once the project is completed. 

Leadership in Health and Social Care

Views about the appropriate role of leadership reflect the economic, social and political context  in which leaders operate. The module examines various theories of leadership with their application to modern day business situations. For example, the link between a successful change initiative and the role of leaders in building trust through the exercise of ‘responsible’ leadership. The module concludes with an analysis of effective leadership and personality traits, ‘followership’ leadership and transformational leadership. 

Contemporary Issues in Health and Social Care

The module examines a range of contemporary issues in health and social care and the implications for healthcare policy and practice. By exploring a range of perspectives, including the influence of social and cultural factors, power and professionalism and multidisciplinary contexts, students will be able to undertake a critical evaluation in the context of a social justice framework. With a strong theoretical underpinning, the analysis can form the basis for applied problem-solving in situations typically confronted by healthcare managers. 

Managing Change

The aim of the module is to inform students about the nature, process and management of organisational change. Highlighting various models and approaches, the module uses case analysis to examine the interpersonal, group and organisational issues associated with change management in a range of healthcare situations. Through analysing the usefulness and drawbacks of the different models it will enable students to identify the most suitable approach in a specific situation and the development of an implementation strategy. 

Managing Risk

The module examines the nature of risk and the processes for identifying and managing risk in a healthcare environment. The characteristics of human error are explored as background to an appraisal of various risk assessment models. Once various risk factors have been identified, and an assessment completed, systems for managing risk can then be evaluated. The module concludes with an analysis of the relationship between risk and safety which leads to an examination of how a ‘just’ culture for balancing safety and accountability can be developed.

Research Project (Double Module)

The research project provides an opportunity to integrate and apply knowledge and understanding from the three years of the degree programme to a typical workplace situation, and to develop research skills and review management literature in a specialised area. The project is an original, detailed analysis of a topic selected in consultation with, and supervised by, a member of LSME’s academic staff. The project includes a critical literature review and primary and/or secondary empirical work to address a specific research question. This module will begin with the  Research Methodology module which includes a requirement for students to identify a suitable project and develop an outline for approval. Data collection will begin alongside other modules until the project report is ready for submission.  International students can write up their Research Project after they have returned to their own country reducing the number of modules they take in the UK to16. (Students would continue to be supported whilst writing up their project via online learning.)

The accelerated BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care Management programme is delivered through full-time formal lectures, workshops, seminars and work-based learning.

The student requires a maximum of 20 hours of compulsory work placement each week in order to fulfil the full requirement of this qualification. The work placement activities would count towards the contact teaching hours for this programme to enable learners acquire the necessary learning, knowledge and skills required for all the modules within two years.

Normally the course will involve two years of intensive full-time study. 

Various methods are used to assess each module including workplace assignments, essays, reflective assignments, written reports, oral reports, case studies and projects. There are no time-constrained examinations.

Students who are awarded a minimum of a 2.2 classification can progress to a range of university Masters programmes in a relevant subject area. Students can also progress in employment in the health and social care sector in a supervisory or managerial role.

International students who want to gain more work experience in the UK can apply for a graduate visa which enables them to stay and work in the UK for two additional years after they have graduated. For more information on graduate visa visit:  https://www.gov.uk/graduate-visa/apply

1. Is this a ‘proper’ degree? 

Yes, the degree is awarded by the University of Chichester. In 2021 the University was ranked in the top 30 of 180 higher education institutions in the UK.

Since 2018 the Office for Students, the regulator for higher education in the UK, has encouraged British universities to develop accelerated degrees as a means of providing greater choice for students. Research has shown that, on average, both completion and achievement rates of accelerated degrees are equal to, or better, than traditional three year degrees.

2. How can you complete a degree in two rather than three years?

Traditional degrees have at least 36 weeks of vacations over the three years of a course. As can be seen from the diagram, accelerated degrees typically have 13 weeks of vacations over the two years of a course. Less vacations means more time for teaching.

3. Do I have to study more hours per week?

No – less vacations means that the same amount of tuition can be provided as a three year degree.

4. What are the advantages of accelerated degrees?

There are three main advantages:

• You can finish your degree and start employment one year earlier than with a three year degree.
• Accommodation and living costs need to be funded for only two years rather than three.
• Commitment and motivation can suffer during the long vacations of a three year degree.

5. Are there any other advantages to LSME’s accelerated degrees?

LSME’s accelerated degrees have six workplace modules – arranged by the College – during which students are paid by an employer. The amount you receive will depend on your age, how many hours you work and working arrangements.

6. Is the course fee less because the programme only lasts two years?

Yes. One advantage of this programme is that your yearly tuition fee is similar to that of students on the three year programme but you will only pay for two years. This is because your work-based learning will be supervised by your employers at no additional cost to LSME although your teacher will visit you periodically in the workplace to observe you and provide some developmental feedback.

7. Will my degree certificate show that I completed the degree in two years rather than three?

Degree certificates only show the date you were awarded your degree, not the length of the course.

8. Is an accelerated degree suitable for everyone?

Not everyone, some students prefer long vacations in order to rest and ‘recharge their batteries’. However, for other students a long vacation means they lose momentum and it takes time to get back into the habit of studying which can affect performance.

9. Can I still get a student loan?

British students who fulfil the conditions of the Student Loans Company are eligible for a student loan irrespective of whether their course lasts two or three years.

10. When can I enrol?

Enrolments take place in September, January and June (subject to a minimum enrolment in each intake).

Structure of Accelerated Degrees