PMHSCLMG - MSc Health and Social Care Leadership and Management

Health and social care sectors in the UK and around the world are currently facing pressures due to rising demands for care within a backdrop of resource shortages and care systems volatility, rapid changes, complexity and uncertainty. These challenges require leaders and managers with knowledge, skills and competencies that rise to the occasion with new ways of thinking. In recognition to the need to have new thinking in respect to leadership and management in the health and social care sector, the Government commissioned the Messenger Inquiry in October 2021 to review the state of leadership and management in the health and social care system. The Inquiry’s Report (DHSC, 2022) points out that “there has developed over time an institutional inadequacy in the way that leadership and management is trained, developed and valued. Collaborative behaviours, which are the bedrock of effective system outcomes, are not always encouraged or rewarded in a system which still relies heavily on siloed personal and organisational accountability”. Furthermore, the Government is legislating towards greater integration of the health and social care systems which requires new mindsets for new ways of working from leaders and managers in the sector and those going into the sector. Hence, national training and skills-related organisations including the National Skills Academy for Social Care and the NHS Leadership Academy are evolving to non-traditional and contemporary curriculum centred in collaborative, collective, integrative and inclusive leadership and management approaches.

It is from these perspectives and context that this Course offers an innovative leadership and management curriculum that centres on contemporary challenges facing society and the health and social care systems in the UK and beyond. This includes considering the challenging financial and workforce crises, greater uncertainty and unpredictability of care systems and services, contemporary policy frameworks and principles underpinning those services, and increased demand for care with sophisticated service user expectations; including aspirations for sustainable care systems and human development. Thus, students will have an opportunity to explore ways of ensuring better outcomes for service users in the backdrop of the uncertainty and complex pressures facing leaders and managers who are required to work collaboratively, collectively and inclusively within and across organisational and geopolitical boundaries, and stakeholder cultures. The curriculum is underpinned by the core values and principles of the University and School of Social Sciences and Professions including multi-disciplinary learning, social justice, the right to health, equal opportunity, community involvement and empowerment, service user involvement, respect for diversity and social inclusiveness. Therefore, students will have the opportunity to develop advanced multi-disciplinary social science based knowledge and skills required in leading and managing rapidly changing health and social care systems and services in the UK and beyond.

The course is organised in a way that allows students to explore leadership and management issues in health and social care both at micro and macro levels. As such, the core programme, combined with a range of optional (designate) modules covers a broad range of topics that fall within three main domains of health and social care leadership and management. These being: a) transformational leadership and management of health and social care at both organisational and system levels, b) leading and managing self, teams and the workforce both at the micro- and macro-levels, and c) the evolving policy frameworks shaping health and social care delivery.
Learning and teaching will be organised mainly as blended learning, with a mixture of contact and online activities such as lectures, group work and group assessments, interactive seminars and workshops, and independent study. Students will be required to engage critically with the course reading material provided. Learning resources will also include web-based material from key health and care organisations, videos, and podcasts.

The overall aim of the MSc Health and Social Care Leadership and Management is to develop effective, transformational, inclusive and interprofessional leaders and managers who rise to the occasion of rapid organisational and system change in health and / or social care. The Course conforms with the Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ) Section 4.17 and uses a multi-disciplinary social science approach to help students develop knowledge, and a range of skills and competences. Graduates will be able to lead, manage and implement collective and transformational projects based on ethics and interprofessional good practice; engage effectively with policy, clarify strategic goals, and lead and manage themselves and others in the pursuit of excellence. The Course will:

1) develop students’ capacity to lead and manage themselves, staff, organisations and resources; to set up personal, team, organisational and cross-organisational priorities; assure the quality of provided services and staff, organisational and system performance.

2) enable students to be analytical of their own and others' behaviour in relation to leadership and management processes, focusing on the capacity to manage their own time, priorities and development, as well as the performance of others.

3) provide a multi-disciplinary learning environment in which students can develop and improve their interprofessional practice through the acquisition and application of knowledge, and the development of skills for effective leadership and management practice.

4) provide learning opportunities which support the leadership and management role within
the context of risk, uncertainty, diversity, resource constraints and equity i.e., strategic planning (organisation, workforce and system), managing resources (people, budgets and performance information), leading and managing quality improvements and engaging service users, and implementing, monitoring and evaluating micro- and macro-level change.

5) support students develop research and evaluative skills to support an evidence-based approach to their leadership and management practice, and critical reflective practice.

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

1. Apply methods and techniques appropriate to their own research or advanced scholarship in Health and Social Care Leadership and Management [LO1]

2. Apply knowledge with originality, based on a practical understanding of how established techniques of research and enquiry are used to create and interpret knowledge in Health and Social Care Leadership and Management [LO2]

3. Evaluate critically current research and advanced scholarship in Health and Social Care and Leadership and Management [LO3]

4. Evaluate methodologies and develop critiques of them and, where appropriate, to propose new hypotheses [LO4]

5. Deal with interprofessional complex issues in Health and Social Care Leadership and Management, both systematically and creatively, make sound judgements in the absence of complete data, and communicate their conclusions clearly to specialist and non-specialist audiences [LO5]

6. Exercise self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems, and act autonomously in planning and implementing tasks at a professional level [LO6]

7. Advance their knowledge and understanding, develop new skills to a high level, exercise initiative and personal responsibility, including decision-making in complex and unpredictable situations; and to learn independently for the purposes of continuing professional development [LO7]

8. Demonstrate confidence, resilience, ambition and creativity and will act as inclusive, collaborative and socially responsible practitioners / professionals in Health and Social Care Leadership and Management [LO8]

Health and Social Care Leadership and Management falls into Social Policy and graduates are expected to have an advanced understanding of a complex body of knowledge, having also developed advanced analytical techniques and problem-solving skills that can be applied in many types of employment

The Course uses a variety of teaching and learning styles and these are, in turn, reflected in the variety of assessment tools employed through the Course modules. Across these modules, assessments will to evaluate how students have embraced the complexities of improving health and social care outcomes by working within and across health and social care organisations, and across geopolitical boundaries. Assessments will also seek to evaluate the consciousness of students to issues of equality, diversity and inclusivity affecting the delivery of health and social care within and across organisations. Thus, within the general principle of mixed mode formative and summative assessments can be found a diversity of instruments: practical reports and reviews, presentations, podcasts, case-studies, simulations, action learning sets, essays and the dissertation.

These together, will provide a wide range of assessment methods to accord students the opportunity to demonstrate achievement of a wide range of skills and competences of the Course learning outcomes, advanced professional development, and good academic practice and scholarship in relation to leadership and management in health and social care.

The assessments instruments are also designed to evaluate development of knowledge, skills and competencies required to work lead and manage self and others within and across organisational and professional boundaries. Through the course committee meetings, students will be able to feedback to the Course team on fit-for-purpose of any assessment instrument in relation to the curriculum and learning. Transferable skills have been embedded in the learning outcomes of the course modules. It includes formative assessment, so that students can test and assess their own performance before handing in or presenting work. The MSc concludes with a dissertation based on the student’s own area of interest and requires a reflective account on the whole learning and developmental journey of the student on this Course.

Whilst there is no formally organised work placement, the Course will seek to recruit applicants and students who are already in employment or who will use the skills they gain on the Course to secure employment in health and / or social care. Once on the Course, these applicants and students can apply their work-based learning to current problems and challenges they face at their work-place. The contribution of these students to class discussion and group work when looking at real-world workplace examples and problem-based learning is immense and important to the overall learning on this Course. The Course team will seek to formally recognise the contribution of work-based learning by students to the Course modules and class based learning.

Students joining this Course are expected to pay particular attention to personal and interprofessional development, and reflective learning. As such, at the beginning of the Course during the induction week, students are expected to complete a personal development plan (PDP) in which they offer an evaluation of their current academic / professional strengths and weaknesses, and identify the skills / capabilities they wish to develop in relation to the domains of leading and managing health and social services, and their future career aspirations. This is used as the basis for developing an action plan and a reflective account, which will be completed and self-monitored by the students throughout their study. In addition, students will be strongly advised to utilise the opportunities available within each module for reflective practice and learning. This will give students an opportunity to reflect on both formative and summative feedback in order to evaluate their learning and developmental progression. At the end of the Course, as part of the Dissertation, students will be required to conclude their studies by revisiting their PDP and provide a reflective account of their learning and development journey on the Course.

This qualification will enhance the career prospects of those working in many settings where knowledge and skills in health and social care leadership and management is relevant. Graduates are expected to take employment in a wide range of areas to include integrated care boards, health and /or social care services, the NHS, local authorities, hospitals and healthcare organisations, care homes, private and public health and healthcare companies, voluntary sector organisations, health and/or social care policy institutions, healthcare research, and research and higher degrees in health and /or social care leadership and management.

Graduates from our existing programmes report improved career choices and advancement as a result of learning acquired on those programmes. Many have gone on to careers as: drug and alcohol rehabilitation managers, managers of learning disability services, day centre managers, Sure Start programme managers, health visitor managers, prison service managers, residential and nursing care home managers, advisors in local authorities, community care managers, managed policy research and have become policy makers.

This qualification will enhance the career prospects of those working in many settings where knowledge and skills in health and social care management or policy making is relevant. Graduates from our existing programmes report improved career choices and advancement as a result of learning acquired on this programme.

Many have gone on to careers as drug and alcohol rehabilitation managers, managers of learning disability services, primary care development managers, day centre managers, sure start programme managers, health visitor managers, prison service managers, residential and nursing care home managers, advisors in local authorities, community care managers, managed policy research, service commissioners, public health consultants and policy makers.

You will be required to have:

• a good honours degree in a health-related subject or sociology, psychology, the social sciences or politics, or the ability to demonstrate the knowledge base, academic skills and motivation to benefit from and succeed in an advanced level award (Applicants with lower qualifications but substantial work or voluntary experience in a relevant area may be considered)

We're looking for motivated applicants who have a degree in health, management, policy, social care or related subjects and can demonstrate their knowledge base, strong analytical abilities that are underpinned by academic skills. Health and social care managers or policy makers with substantial relevant work experience may be considered and are also encouraged to apply. Experienced clinical staff or senior practitioners moving into a management role will be considered.