MSci in Health and Social Care Management

Although the course content is closely linked to QAA Benchmark Statements, the College recognises the need to provide a programme that is current, relevant and with a curriculum catering for the needs of students from diverse backgrounds. The first module, therefore, focuses on the development of critical thinking skills to support the transition from school, further education or the workplace into higher education. Furthermore, teaching involves a significant amount of group work to encourage students to support each other in the learning process and mitigate against any problems that might affect retention.

The course aims to:

• Provide students with knowledge and understanding in the key functional areas of organisations, the external environment and management.
• Provide students with knowledge, concepts and principles of the main functional areas of health and social care.
• Develop knowledge and understanding of the main principles and practices of management with an ability to apply these skills to the solution of work related problems.
• Prepare students with the skills and competencies needed for a successful career in health and social care management.

Students who wish to undertake the full degree programme must:

• Be at least 18 years of age
• Have a level 3 qualification, such as BTEC National Diploma in Health & Social Care or an equivalent qualification in Health and Social care, or GCE Advanced level profile which demonstrates strong performance in a relevant subject or an adequate performance in more than one GCE subject. This profile is likely to be supported by GCSE grades at A* to C
• Equivalent T Level Qualification
• Have a current enhanced DBS certificate
• Pass an initial assessment test (CEFR Level B2) literacy and numeracy with in-depth proficiency in academic writing) at LSME.

Acceptance on the course will be subject to a face to face interview.

All London School of Management Education courses are delivered in English. It is essential to have an excellent command of the English language to benefit from studying for the programme. Students applying for the full degree will be required to obtain an acceptable grade in their approved English language test (GCSE or equivalent) if their first language is not English. Applicants who have not studied in English for the final two years of their qualification must also meet the minimum requirement in English.

Overseas applicants may also achieve an IELTS minimum score of 5.5 in the written, listening, reading and speaking component of the test or equivalent.

LSME will also request that local applicants take our internal Initial Assessment Numeracy and Literacy test and achieve at CEFR Level B2 and show competence in academic writing.

Normally the course will involve four years of full-time study to develop requisite skills for health and social care management. In special circumstances, and at the discretion of the University of Chichester, it may be possible to extend this period for up to five years.

 

The structure of the full MSci in Health and Social Care Management programme is shown below:

Year 1: Certificate in Higher Education – 120 credits at Level 4

TERM 1

• Critical Thinking Skills (20 cr.)
• Personal and Professional Skills for Management (20 cr.)

TERM 2

• Organisation Theory (20 cr.)
• Operations Management, Quality and Excellence (20 cr.)

TERM 3

• Ethical Foundations of Health and Social Care (20 cr.)
• UK Healthcare Policy (20 cr.)

Year 2: Diploma in Higher Education – 120 credits at Level 5

TERM 1

• Project Management (20 cr.)
• Strategic Human Resource Management (20 cr.)

TERM 2

• Inter-professional Working in Health & Social Care (20 cr.)
• The Legal and Regulatory Framework (20 cr.)

TERM 3

• Service Planning and Budgeting (20 cr.)
• Research Methodology (20 cr.)

Year 3: Honours Level – 120 credits at Level 6

TERM 1

• Leadership in Health & Social Care (20 cr.)
• Contemporary Issues in Health & Social Care (20 cr.)

TERM 2

• Managing Change (20 cr.)
• Managing Risk (20 cr.)

TERM 3

• Research Project (40 cr.)

Year 4: Master’s Level – 120 credits at Level 7

TERM 1

• The Leadership of Cultural Change (20 cr.)
• Practical Application of Cultural Change Leadership (10 cr.)

TERM 2

• The Perception and Psychology of Wellbeing (20 cr.)
• Practical Application of the Concept of Wellbeing (10 cr.)

TERM 3

• Management Consultancy Project (60 cr.)

Year 1: Certificate in Higher Education – 120 credits at Level 4:

Critical Thinking Skills

This module has been designed by the London School of Management Education for students in the BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care Management course, to develop their process of conceptualising, applying, analysing, synthesising, and/or evaluating information. 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 health and social care 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 interpersonal conflict arises with an ability to coach and develop people in order to achieve a productive workforce in the health and social care settings.

Ethical Foundations of Health and Social Care

This Bachelor of Science with Honours degree in Health and Social Care Management 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 is designed by the London School of Management Education and examines the development of health and social care 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 the 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

This module is for the BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care Management qualification and is designed by the London School of Management Education to highlight the importance of quality health and social care provision in various settings 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.

Year 2: Diploma in Higher Education – 120 credits at Level 5:

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.

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. For our Bachelor’s degree with honours in Health and Social Care Management, 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. For our Bachelor’s degree with honours in Health and Social Care Management, this 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 this BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care Management programme 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

This module is carefully chosen by the London School of Management Education for its Bachelor of Science with Honours degree in Health and Social Care Management to support learners to acquire basic skills for research.  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.

Year 3: Honours Level – 120 credits at Level:

Leadership in Health and Social Care

This essential module is designed by the London School of Management Education for its Bachelor of Science with Honours degree in Health and Social Care Management to support its learners to understand the roles of effective 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

This module is essential for the BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care Management qualification and it is designed by the London School of Management Education to support the application of critical thinking when students analyse some of the contemporary issues in the health and social care sector. 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 BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care Management programme 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

This BSc (Hons) Health and Social Care Management programme 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 London School of Management Education’s academic staff. The project includes a critical literature review and primary and/or secondary empirical work to address a specific research question.

Year 4: Master’s Level – 120 credits at Level 7:

The Leadership of Cultural Change

Operational problems in health and social care are often compounded (or even caused), by an inappropriate organisational culture. Encouraged by a vacuum of leadership, the use of too much authority or absence of authority can be disastrous leading to confusion, increases in safety incidents, lower moral and higher turnover. This module builds on the learning in the two Level 6 modules, ‘Managing Change’ and ‘Leadership’, by examining the concept of organisational culture, identifying the need for a change in culture, leading the transformation process and embedding a commitment to an organisation’s amended mission and values.

Practical Application of Cultural Change Leadership

This module involves using learning from the previous module to undertake a cultural audit of a health or social care organisation. There are a number of ways an audit can be undertaken some of which are proprietary and not free to use. The starting point is to put, “Carrying out an organisational cultural audit” into any web browser and follow the links. The organisation must be approved by a tutor and give its permission for the audit to be carried out but its identity must not be disclosed.

The Perception and Psychology of Wellbeing

Understanding the psychology of health and wellbeing explores how various factors affect the physical and mental health of individuals. According to one definition, wellbeing is the combination of feeling good and functioning effectively. With increasing financial and staffing pressures on western health and social care systems, there is growing interest in approaches that can improve lives and reduce medical intervention costs. The module considers some of the factors that influence wellbeing including emotions, thoughts, behaviours, social relationships, environment and culture.

Practical Application of the Concept of Wellbeing

A number of psychological questionnaires have been developed to assess wellbeing including the Ryff Psychological Wellbeing Scale. The most widely used version of the scale consists of 42 statements with a scoring range of 1 – 6. In this module, students undertake a review of the literature that assesses the validity of these questionnaires and also complete the Ryff questionnaire themselves. On the basis of their literature review and completing the questionnaire, students are required to assess the practical application and limitations of using psychological questionnaires to judge wellbeing.

The Management Consultancy Project

This module complements other modules in the programme by giving students an opportunity to put their new knowledge into practice through a consultancy project. The project will be selected in conjunction with a health/social care organisation and consist of an in-depth analysis of an area of concern identified by the organisation. The consultancy report will include a critical literature review with the results of the research presented to a panel of academic staff with input by the sponsoring organisation. The presentation will be supported by a written report.

The MSci in Health and Social Care Management programme is delivered through a full-time of formal lectures, workshops and seminars.

Various methods are used to assess each module in the MSci in Health and Social Care Management programme including workplace assignments, essays, reflective assignments, written reports, oral reports, case studies and projects. There are no time-constrained examinations.

Students of the London School of Management Education with a MSci in Health and Social Care Management qualification who are awarded a minimum of a 2.2 classification can progress to a range of Level 8 programmes in a relevant subject area in various universities, such as Social and Community Work, Public Health, Health Systems Management and other relevant qualifications. Students can also progress in employment in the health and social care sector in a managerial role or other roles in the sector that require working at a higher level with increased responsibilities, autonomy and expertise.