module specification

This Module introduces students to systems and service leadership and management in health and social care. It will enable you to critically focus beyond organisational and professional boundaries when considering policy changes to improve health and social services within the context of constrained budgets in health and social care systems. One of the primary goals in recent changes in the health and care sectors is to improve collaboration between health and social care organisations, local governments, voluntary sector organisations, partners, and communities. These contemporary sector changes are fostering stronger collaboration among service providers into a more visible integrated care system (ICS) across the UK and beyond. Therefore, this Module focuses on developing effective health and social care interprofessional leaders and managers within the context of changing demographic profiles, financial constraints, workforce crisis and gaps in the supply of and demand for services being faced in the UK and abroad.

The Module aims to:
1. introduce the concepts and theories of systems leadership and management relevant to health and social care
2. explore the complex attributes required by systems leaders and managers in health and social care
3. critique the importance of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in developing effective systems leadership and management in health and social services
4. develop critical knowledge of the contemporary challenges faced by systems leaders and service managers in health and social services in the UK and around the world
5. develop the complex interprofessional skills and competencies required to lead and manage transformational and sustainable health and social care systems and organisations

The Module indicative syllabus includes:
 Systems Leadership, Theories and Approaches of Leadership and Management [LO1]
 Attributes, Skills and Competencies of Effective Interprofessional System Leaders and Service Managers [LO3]
 Leading and Managing Health and Social Services at System Level [LO1, LO2, LO3]
 Interprofessional Working and Providing Services Across Organisational and Geo-Political Boundaries [LO3]
 Systems Leadership, Complexity, Adaptability and Transformational Change [LO3, LO4] 
 Addressing Health Inequalities in Dynamic, Unpredictable and Resource Constrained Care Systems [LO2, LO5, LO6]
 Systems Leadership, Management Approaches and the Experiences of Services and Service Users [LO6]
 Leading and Managing Services within Evolving Working Models [LO3, LO6]
 Understanding the Role of Finance, Data and Information in Systems Design,  Service Management and Service Delivery [LO2, LO4]
 The Influence of Social Justice, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion on Effective Interprofessional System Leadership and Service Management  [LO5] 
 The Role of Policy, Governance and Other Factors on Systems and Service Improvement [LO4]

You will have an opportunity to learn through a blended learning approach in which classroom activities are combined with online learning. Classroom learning will include lectures, direct and interactive teaching; followed by small group learning, workshops and seminars, action learning sets, systems and leadership simulations, service management case-studies and videos to support material covered on the syllabus. Small group learning and workshops will be based on role modelling of interprofessional systems leadership and service management that allows you to apply your work-based learning and experience to the classroom in order to appreciate the collaborative nature of joint leadership and interprofessional practice expected in today’s health and social care sectors in the UK and abroad.

Online learning is meant to broaden and enhance your learning on the module by enabling you to engage in guided independent study of the module material outside the classroom. As such, online learning will be based on context-specific learning and critical analysis of AI-generated work of ChatGPT of real-life examples and situations meaningful to your development and practice. Through online debates you will have the opportunity to interact with fellow course participants to build logical arguments and create analytical tools such as concept maps, infographics or diagrams to demonstrate your deep understanding of topics being covered and their knowledge structure in the context of interprofessional learning. Online learning will also include podcasts, videos, forum discussions, assessment preparation and weekly recommended reading assignments.

Opportunities for reflective learning are embedded into both formal and informal learning on a weekly basis in line with the above. These opportunities will come through application of leadership and management theories, critical analysis of complex systems and leadership scenarios based on simulations and  action learning sets. You will be strongly encouraged to contribute to learning and teaching on the module from your own work-based learning and experience, and to reflect on how you can apply learning on the module to your own practice or organisation. In addition, you will be able to consider opportunities of transferring gained knowledge from case-studies to your own situation at work or practice. There will be an opportunity to interact with a guest practitioner from the field to highlight and reflect on the practical application of material learned on the module.

Upon successful completion of the Module, you will be able to:

• Critically evaluate the various theoretical perspectives of systems leadership and management in the context of health and social care [LO1]

• Demonstrate knowledge of developing effective systems leadership and service management in health and social care systems in the context of evolving constraints [LO2]

• Critically show and evaluate the complex attributes, skills and competencies required by effective interprofessional system leaders and managers in health and social services to work across organisational, geopolitical and professional boundaries [LO3] 

• Simulate the influence of policy, legislation, governance and other factors on systems and service performance and reorganisation in health and social care [LO4]

•  Critically assess the influence of equality, diversity and inclusion on the development of effective systems leadership and service management in health and social services [LO5]

• Critically analyse the effects of different systems leadership and management approaches and contexts on patients, clients and services [LO6]

1) Summative Assessment (40%) – Systems Situational Case-Analysis: a predetermined in-class written situational case-analysis of 2½ hours (1500 words). You will be given a situational case in class to read and analyse in 2½ hours. 

2) Summative Assessment (460%) – In-Class Service Improvement Simulation: Group oral presentation based on a Simulation of how to improve a service affected by recent / contemporary systems change. Thus, the class will be divided into groups to work on one Service Improvement Simulation. Each group will prepare their in-class oral presentation with an accompanying portfolio of 2000 words or slides that will be submitted to Turnitin by 3pm.

2) Both Summative Assessments will pay particular attention to the application of leadership and management theories to analyse systems and service provision problems related to health and social care own organisations within the context of contemporary policy, governance and other systems influential factors.

3) Formative Assessment – Each group will do a 500-word RepPortfolio Plan related to the second summative assessment (Final Assessment), giving details of the system context and service provision problems that need to be addressed. This will give you the opportunity to consider the leadership and management theories applicable to the system and service issue. You will use this formative assessment opportunity to prepare the rest of the final summative reportfolio and get feedback..

The second summative assessment will provide an opportunity to assess your ability to work within a team across organisational and professional boundaries in order to improve a service affected by recent system changes. This will address LO3 and LO4.

The second summative assessment will seek to give you an opportunity to apply leadership and management theories to analyse and debate on a system and service provision situational problem existing in a health and social care organisation, giving a broader perspective of influential internal and external factors within the context of contemporary policy, legislation and governance. This will address LO1, LO2, LO5 and LO6.

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