module specification

This Module will discuss the application of public health sciences to healthcare services, planning, commissioning, and provision. Hence, you will learn some of the core skills and tasks required to produce evidence upon which to make evidence-based decisions in regards to these aforementioned areas. The approaches covered in this module, are also applicable to Health Improvement, and Health Protection, but in this module, they are covered in regards to Healthcare Public Health, grounding you in this discipline, while providing transferable skills to the other domains of Public Health. It will enable you to examine and reflect on the application of public health approach to healthcare at population level. Therefore, you will also have an opportunity to learn the skills required in local authorities to produce joint strategic needs assessments and local health needs assessments that inform decision making in healthcare service planning, design, development and delivery.  

The module aims to: -

 Develop knowledge and application of a Health Needs Assessment
 Enhance evidence-base practice skills, in the area of evidence-based healthcare
 Provide a grounding in planning, development, and design of services based on health needs, prevention, early diagnosis, and treatment of illness, quality, efficiency, value, variation, and equality, on a population scale
 Develop knowledge and application of service evaluation and commissioning
 Provide learning opportunities in literature searching including review and critical analysis

This module covers the following areas: -

 Health, healthcare, and health needs [LO1]
 Healthcare systems [LO1, LO3]
 Local community profiling [LO2, LO3]
 Assessment of the health needs of a population [LO1, LO2, LO3]
 Evidence-informed, and value-based decision making in healthcare [LO1, LO2,LO3]
 Service design, planning, and procurement [LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4]
 Service utilisation and health inequalities [LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4]
 Monitoring and evaluation of health services  [LO1, LO3]

The module teaching is based on weekly lectures and seminar classes, where specific group-work exercises have been developed to provide you with an opportunity to examine in more detail some of the main conceptual and methodological issues covered in lectures.

The approach to teaching is based on facilitating the application of concepts, methods and principles to practice-related contexts, and your integration of learning in relation to real world scenarios. This approach to teaching aims to develop your ability to think critically about data and evidence, and to draw appropriate inferences in accordance with the stated learning outcomes.

The above teaching methods will be complemented by your independent study on the module. You will be required to read, on a weekly basis, recommended chapters in the core textbooks, academic journal articles or to access other relevant educational material.

The module will be using WebLearn - guidance will be given during the module about how to best use this. It is designed to support your learning, providing access to wider reading and resources to help you prepare for each session e.g. websites, policy documents and academic journal articles and or to revise and deepen knowledge after sessions e.g. lecture notes. You are encouraged to use other learning resources such as the Library, Academic Mentors and WebLearn. As we cover different sessions weekly, you are required to reflect on your learning and its application to the development, delivery and utilisation of healthcare services at population level in the real world.

On completion of the module you will be able to:

1. Demonstrate a critical understanding and application of the principles and practices of Public Health and their application to healthcare [LO1]
2. Complete a Health Needs Assessment, interpret, and evaluate the results, demonstrate self-direction and originality in tackling and solving problems [LO2]
3. Apply an evidence-based approach to the design, planning, commissioning, and evaluation of healthcare systems and healthcare services, demonstrating a systematic and creative approach to dealing with complex issues [LO3]
4. Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the commissioning / procurement process [LO4]

Assessments:

Summative Assessment - there is one summative assessment on this module, a 4,000 word report of a localised Health Needs Assessment. This should include recommendations for service design, planning and evaluation. The report assesses all the four learning outcomes and is designed to assess all your learning on this module. Hence, it requires you to demonstrate your ability to profile a localised community, e.g. a borough, assess the key health needs of the residents, evaluate current provision and utilisation of healthcare services and develop priorities and strategies to meet the health needs of the population more effectively in the future. In doing this, you should critically interrogate the way evidence are used to inform decision-making in prioritising and commissioning healthcare services at population level. Hence, the assessment requires you to reflect on the realities of developing healthcare services in relation to the corresponding health needs of residents within a community.
This will be due in Week 13.  

Formative Assessment - you will have an opportunity to submit a 800-word outline of the Health Needs Assessment as a formative assessment in week 9 of the module. In doing this, you should consider the local community you will study for the summative assessment and the resources you will use to develop your work. You will have an opportunity to get written feedback for this either from your peers or tutors.

https://rl.talis.com/3/londonmet/lists/E5F1127D-8E5A-3913-6841-00BBA31CFC04.html?lang=en