UFPHSCRE - FdA Public Health and Social Care

This Foundation Degree Public Health and Social Care is a two-year programme designed to take account of the current and envisaged changes in the UK healthcare sector. The ageing population, advances in healthcare technology, rising care costs and concerns about the quality of healthcare provision, present a need for programmes that offer a mix of academic and vocational skills. The programme is for those who are either working in or intending to work in the health or social care sectors or those graduating from a wide range of health and social care level 3 programmes. Students will have the opportunity to develop a core set of knowledge, skills and values required to deliver public health and social care and enhance their personal development.

The course provides a comprehensive, comparative approach to health and social care. It is delivered in an interactive way, helping students to develop the confidence, knowledge and skills required for their future career in the health and social care sector. The programme covers all key aspects including public health, health promotion, policy and ethical aspects of care. A clear focus of this programme is developing students’ ability to use evidence to inform their decisions and be able to understand the critical issues in health and social care and ways of dealing with them. Successful students can progress to the top up honours degree in Health and Social Care.

The Foundation Degree Health and Social Care programme is a broad social science-oriented degree for people who are or intend to work in health and social care. The course aims to provide a comprehensive, comparative approach to health and social care provisions. It aims to cover all key aspects including public health, health promotion, policy and ethical aspects of care. A clear focus of this programme is developing students’ ability to use evidence to inform their decisions and understanding of critical issues in health and social care and ways of dealing with them. The course aims to equip students with skills for entry-level and intermediate level health and social care employment.

In particular,

• To widen participation, with appropriate admissions, guidance and support, and learning and teaching policies which meet the needs of a diverse student body, at high standards of retention and achievement.

• To offer intellectually challenging courses, which support the personal, development of students and which are coherent, characterised by clear routes of progression and underpinned by subject scholarship and research.

• To develop in students an appropriate mix of knowledge, skill and capability through a curriculum and an intellectual environment which enhances their employability and gives a rigorous foundation for further study and life as a graduate

• To create a framework of awards that can react to and anticipate market developments within the context of the University’s mission for personal development and social justice.

The following learning outcomes incorporate and depend on knowledge and critical understanding of the well-established principles of their areas of study, and of the way in which those principles have developed.

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

1. Apply underlying concepts and principles of public health and social care outside the context in which they were first studied, including the application of those principles in a work context;

2. Apply in a work context the main methods of enquiry in health and social care relevant to Foundation degree, evaluate critically the appropriateness of different approaches to solving problems in the field of study, recognising the limits of their knowledge, and how this influences analyses and interpretations based on that knowledge;

3. Use in a work context a range of established techniques to initiate and undertake critical analysis of information, and to propose solutions to problems arising from that analysis;

4. Effectively communicate information, arguments and analysis in a variety of forms to specialist and non-specialist audiences, and deploy key techniques of the discipline effectively and in a work context;

5. Undertake further training, develop existing skills and acquire new competences that will enable them to assume significant responsibility within organisations;

6. Undertake employment which requires the exercise of personal responsibility and decision-making;

7. Utilise opportunities for lifelong learning.

Learning outcome 1

Apply underlying concepts and principles of public health and social care outside the context in which they were first studied, including the application of those principles in a work context:

SH4F00 Placement learning 1 (P)
SH4F01 Understanding Health and Social Care (P)
SH5000 Ethics and Research in professional contexts (A)
SH5F00 Placement learning 2 (A)
SW4003 Social Contexts for Professional Practice (I)

Learning outcome 2

Apply in a work context the main methods of enquiry in health and social care relevant to Foundation degree, evaluate critically the appropriateness of different approaches to solving problems in the field of study, recognising the limits of their knowledge, and how this influences analyses and interpretations based on that knowledge:

SW4003 Social Contexts for Professional Practice (I)
SH5002 Health Illness and Society (P)
SH5000 Ethics and Research in professional contexts (A)
SH5F01 Promoting Health and Wellbeing (P)
SH4F00 Placement learning 1 (P)
SH5F00 Placement learning 2 (A)

Learning outcome 3

Use in a work context a range of established techniques to initiate and undertake critical analysis of information, and to propose solutions to problems arising from that analysis:

SH4F02 Communicating with Different Client Groups (I)
SH5002 Health Illness and Society (P)
SH4F01 Understanding Health and Social Care (P)
SH4F00 Placement learning 1 (P)
SH5F00 Placement learning 2 (A)

Learning outcome 4

Effectively communicate information, arguments and analysis in a variety of forms to specialist and non-specialist audiences, and deploy key techniques of the discipline effectively and in a work context:

SH4F02 Communicating with Different Client Groups (I)
SH5000 Ethics and Research in professional contexts (A)
SH5002 Health Illness and Society (P)
SH4F00 Placement learning 1 (P)
SH5F00 Placement learning 2 (A)

Learning outcome 5

Undertake further training, develop existing skills and acquire new competences that will enable them to assume significant responsibility within organisations:

SH4F02 Communicating with Different Client Groups (I)
SH5000 Ethics and Research in professional contexts (A)
SH5002 Health Illness and Society (P)
SH5F01 Promoting Health and Wellbeing (A)
SH4F00 Placement learning 1 (P)
SH5F00 Placement learning 2 (A)

Learning outcome 6

Undertake employment which requires the exercise of personal responsibility and decision-making:

SH4F02 Communicating with Different Client Groups (I)
SH5000 Ethics and Research in professional contexts (A)
SH5F01 Promoting Health and Wellbeing (A)
SH4F00 Placement learning 1 (P)
SH5F00 Placement learning 2 (A)

Learning outcome 7

Utilise opportunities for lifelong learning:

SW4003 Social Contexts for Professional Practice (I)
SH4F02 Communicating with Different Client Groups (I)
SH5000 Ethics and Research in professional contexts (A)
SH5F01 Promoting Health and Wellbeing (A)
SH4F00 Placement learning 1 (P)
SH5F00 Placement learning 2 (A)

Foundation degrees

The Foundation Degree Public Health and Social Care degree lends itself to a variety of teaching and learning styles and these are, in turn, reflected in the variety of assessment tools employed throughout the course. Within the general principle of mixed mode assessment can be found a diversity of formative and summative instruments: short answer papers, in class tests, seen papers, practical reports and reviews, case studies, group assessment projects, seminar presentations and essays. Transferable skills have been embedded in the learning outcomes of the core modules. They have been mapped to ensure that they are assessed at every level.

All students must have either paid or voluntary placements in suitable health and or social care settings to complete the course placement and other modules.

There will be opportunities for students to study for part of their degree in another European country. ERASMUS is part of the European Union SOCRATES programme for cooperation in the field of education. Under ERASMUS the University has student exchange agreements with 16 different European countries.

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This programme is aligned to Skills for Health Competences – this is the skills sector council for the NHS and students will be able to map their competences by the end of the programme enhancing their employment opportunities.

Successful completion of this course offers improved career opportunities in the health and social care fields this may be within the NHS, voluntary and independent sectors. The programme is also excellent preparation for further research or study. All students who meet the requirements will be able to progress onto the top-up honours degree programme: BSc Health & Social Care.

In addition to the University's standard entry requirements, you should have:

• English Language GCSE at grade C or above (or equivalent) and
• 240 UCAS points from two or more A levels (e.g. CCC) or
• 240 UCAS points from a BTEC National (e.g. MMM or DD, or a Level 3 Advanced Diploma or equivalent)
• appropriate Access or other preparatory course.

All applicants must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. Applicants who require a Tier 4 student visa may need to provide a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as Academic IELTS. For more information about English qualifications please see our English language requirements.

These requirements may vary in individual cases.

Applications are welcome from mature students with appropriate work experience. We also welcome mature students without formal qualifications who are able to demonstrate enthusiasm, commitment, and the ability to benefit from higher education.