StudyQA — Diploma: Leadership for Health Services Improvement

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Description Contents Requirements Funding

This part-time programme responds to the contemporary political agenda by developing leadership skills within the context of improving health services.
Leadership for Health Services Improvement explores the theory, principles and practice of leadership and service improvement in health-related organisations with exploration of key issues relating to the individual (leadership values and behaviours, role, authority, power and influence); the organisation (systems and sub-systems, purpose, quality, user choice and involvement); and the context (complex, ambiguous and political, multiple constituencies and accountabilities). It also includes a focus on personal development and action learning.

The MSc programme consists of taught modules (total 120 credits) plus a dissertation (60 credits). There are five compulsory modules, each worth 20 credits. Students have freedom to select the modules for the remaining 20 credits from those offered by HSMC or from the wider range of modules offered elsewhere in the University to reflect the programme's emphasis on leadership and service improvement.

The core modules are:

Managing Quality and Service Improvement in Health Care (20 credits)This module aims to provide students with knowledge about the management of quality in health care and an understanding of the issues involved in improving quality in health services. It covers concepts and definitions of quality and service improvement, different perspectives on quality, the development of quality management in health care including an analysis of current policy, approaches to the management of quality such as ISO 9000, TQM, business process re-engineering and accreditation, and the development of a quality improvement strategy. This module is run as a one-week (5 day) block.

Introduction to Organisational Development in Health and Social Care (20 credits) This module examines organisational development (OD) exploring the conceptual frameworks and scholarly practices within which OD is situated. This includes the core theories, values, and principles that underpin the different approaches that have emerged in this field, since the 1960s, how these relate (or not) to what is happening in health and social care, different strategies, types and approaches to change as well as diagnostic models for analysing organisations and exploring approaches to intervening in change. Throughout the module, attention is paid to the importance of both the process (how change is enacted) and the anticipated outcomes of change (what actions are taken). The module draws on lessons from the literature and the practical experience of those involved in planning and delivering change in health and social care services.

By the end of this module, students should be able to:

* Understand the origins and definitions of organisation development (OD) and be able to articulate the strengths and weaknesses of this approach
* Examine the ways in which OD has influenced (or not) processes of change in health and social care today
* Analyse organisations through use of diagnostic models and how this informs choices about intervening
* Be aware of a range of approaches to change interventions.
* Reflect on the application of theories, concepts and models within health and social care contexts, including how people respond to, and work with change.

The method of delivery will combine traditional lectures with a range of more innovative approaches including individual, group and whole cohort inquiry and application; an organisational consultation; and relevant health and social care case studies. This module is taken in two blocks (three and two days).

Public and User Involvement in Health Care (20 credits)The relationship between providers and users of health and social care services is changing, and governments in many countries are encouraging greater involvement of users and the public in the planning and development of services. Underlying these changes is the belief that services will be more accessible, acceptable and responsive if the people who use them are involved in their design and development. At the same time, there has been a strong drive to encourage people to assume greater responsibility for their health and to practise self-care wherever possible and appropriate. In the UK, The Wanless Report (2002) argued that the financial sustainability of the NHS critically depends on the population being 'fully engaged' in their own health care.

At the end of the module students will be able to:

* Understand the development of consumerism in health care and be able to critically appraise the application of the concept to the NHS.
* Appreciate the place of consumer approaches within the wider context of the role of service users, users groups, communities and the public in healthcare.
* Compare different methods for obtaining the views of users, the public and communities.

This module is taken in two blocks (three and two days).

Leadership in Context (20 credits)This module draws on a framework for examining the lived experience of taking up a leadership role. It critically explores the contexts within which healthcare and leadership is situated, the role of leaders in service improvement, in order to make sense of and negotiate, better outcomes for service users, staff and other stakeholders. The three spheres of leadership experience explored through this framework - person - system and context - are brought together and considered as it applies to you, your work place and the local and national contexts within which you take up your authority and exercise leadership in role, to improve the qualityof outcomes for service users.

By the end of this module, you should be able to:

* Demonstrate an understanding of the complex, ambiguous and political contexts within which NHS leadership is exercised.
* Articulate an understanding of leading in systems with multiple constituencies and accountabilities.
* Understand the changing role and task of healthcare leaders as leaders of services and systems, staff and processes.
* Appreciate the centrality of meaning and purpose as a motivator for clinicians.
* Demonstrate how your learning about leadership can contribute to better outcomes for service users, staff and other stakeholders in your own work contexts.

Applied Leadership Learning (20 credits)This module is explicitly developmental in its approach, with a focus on students using the experience of action learning within a group setting to enable critical and in-depth personal reflection and learning.

The action learning set meetings held for groups of up to 8 students will be facilitated by an academic tutor who has specialist expertise in the areas of personal and organisational development, leadership and action learning. Action learning sets will entail participants working as a group to define, analyse and reach conclusions to management and leadership issues being faced at individual and organisational levels.

Each student will identify key improvements in their workplace which they wish to bring about during the course of the programme. The action learning set meetings will be a forum for discussing how to achieve these improvements, and for applying leadership and improvement concepts and tools to workplace situations.

Students will be expected to do preparatory work for each action learning meeting, based on academic reading, diagnostic tools and support materials made available to them as part of the programme. This module will also require them to prepare and maintain a personal development plan (non-assessed), keep a formal structured written learning journal (non-assessed) documenting a critical reflective analysis of their individual action learning and personal development, and undertake a 360º narrative feedback.

You will be able to:

* Demonstrate an understanding of the theoretical concepts and models of action learning.
* Access action learning as an approach that supports leadership and organisational development.
* Reflect and critically analyse your personal leadership experience and approach, located within theoretical concepts of leadership and learning, and
* Be confident in your personal leadership practice and using a structured action learning approach as a vehicle for personal and organisational development.

The module will begin with a two-day introductory workshop, including one day for initial action learning set meetings. This will be followed by a further five one-day action learning set meetings during the course of the module. The module will finish with a two-day closing workshop, including a final action learning set meeting.

Credits and optional modules

These compulsory modules total 100 credits. In order to fulfil the Programme Requirements you need to obtain 120 credits in taught modules. You can do this by selecting one further optional module. Below are a selection of modules available (each worth 20 credits):

* Health Care Quality and Innovation: Approaches to Improvement
* Health Service Management
* Health and Health Care Policy
* Law Regulation and Finance of Commissioning
* Partnership Working in Health and Social Care
* Public Service, Procurement and Contracting
* Strategic Commissioning

Please note that the detailed content of the programmes is regularly updated in line with developments in theory, policy and practice: HSMC reserves the right to make adjustments to this indicative programme outline as appropriate.

The normal entry requirement for a Masters programme is a good Honours degree (upper second or better) or an equivalent professional qualification. However, there are circumstances when appropriate career experience may be taken into account as an alternative to an academic qualification. In such circumstances, applicants may be asked to provide evidence of their ability to produce work of a postgraduate standard. If you have any queries about this, or would like to discuss your individual circumstances please do not hesitate to contact us.In addition to the normal requirements, applicants must be in employment in a health care-related organisation at the time the programme starts in order to optimise the application of theory and the action learning elements of the programme. In the event of a student no longer being in such employment during the programme, arrangements will be made to ensure this does not detract from their learning by drawing on their recent relevant work experience. For admission to the programme, applicants will be required to satisfy the programme director that they have scope within their work experience to apply learning from the programme to service improvement by means of the action learning sets and to identify desired outcomes from participation in the programme. We accept a range of qualifications from different countries our country pages (show you what qualifications we accept from your country. English Language Requirements IELTS band: 6.5 TOEFL iBT® test: 88 IMPORTANT NOTE: Since April 2014 the ETS tests (including TOEFL and TOEIC) are no longer accepted for Tier 4 visa applications to the United Kingdom. The university might still accept these tests to admit you to the university, but if you require a Tier 4 visa to enter the UK and begin your degree programme, these tests will not be sufficient to obtain your Visa. The IELTS test is most widely accepted by universities and is also accepted for Tier 4 visas to the UK- learn more.