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Health Policy & Delivery - SPY00056H

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• Department: Social Policy and Social Work
• Module co-ordinator: Prof. Neil Lunt
• Credit value: 20 credits
• Credit level: H
• Academic year of delivery: 2022-23
  • See module specification for other years: 2023-24 2024-25

Module summary

This module addresses the principles, structure, and financing that underpin the UK’s health system, while exploring the key challenges being faced.

Module will run

Occurrence	Teaching period
A	Autumn Term 2022-23

Module aims

What are the challenges facing health policy and delivery in UK?  What do potential responses look like and how do they fit alongside prevailing social attitudes towards healthcare and the NHS?

The module has three ‘blocks’: Contexts; Issues in health; and healthcare scenarios. In the first students will explore the structures of healthcare and place these in a wider context. In the second block students will consider the myriad of challenges faced by and changes within the health system. In the final section will critically engage with such issues and then develop ‘solutions’ to particular issues.  Contexts: Health as a pillar; Development and structure of healthcare in the UK; Financing and delivery.  Issues: Ageing and Social Care; Superdiversity and epidemiology; Workforce; When it goes wrong - complaints, scandals and Public Inquiries. Scenarios: Future of general practice; Role of technology; Income generation in the NHS; Choice and patient-centred care.

Module learning outcomes

On successful completion of the module students will be able to:

• Understand challenges facing health policy and delivery in UK.
• Conceptualise the NHS as both historical artifact and site for reform. 
• Assess how NHS reforms address population change and diversity, i.e. age, disability and ethnicity. 
• Outline and compare suggested improvements to NHS policy and delivery.
• Evaluate contemporary reform of the NHS. 

Assessment

Task	Length	% of module mark
Essay/coursework Essay 3000 words	N/A	70
Essay/coursework Poster: Change and challenge	N/A	30

Special assessment rules

None

Reassessment

Task	Length	% of module mark
Essay/coursework Reassessment essay	N/A	100

Module feedback

Students will receive summative feedback within four weeks of submitting their essay. Feedback will be via the Department’s marking matrix.

Indicative reading

Glasby, J. (2012). Understanding Health and Social Care. Bristol: Policy Press.

Baggott, R. (2010). Public Health Policy and Politics (2^nd Edition). Basingstoke: Palgrave.

Klein, R. (2013). The New Politics of the NHS (7^th Edition). CRC: Florida.

Exworthy, M., Mannion, R., and Powell, M. (eds). (2016). Dismantling the NHS?: Evaluating the impacts of health reforms. Bristol: Policy Press.