Why study this course

This is an extremely flexible course that is focused on service provision, which bridges the gap between theory and practice.

The course provides you with excellent employability skills and experience, as you will meet and work closely with employers.

We have a small experienced team within the sector providing excellent pastoral care and offering an authentic viewpoint on how the course applies to practice.

You'll have the opportunity to experience a unique and wide range of placements within a variety of settings across the sector.

Course summary

Health & Social Care is all about compassion, support and understanding both individual needs and broader sociocultural context. Here at Bishop Grosseteste University, we practice what we teach. Our undergraduate course has been developed in consultation with Health and Social Care services in Lincoln, thus ensuring relevance to provision within the community and meeting employers’ expectations.

Key facts

Award

BSc (Hons)

UCAS code

L758

Duration

3 years

Mode of study

Full-time

Start date

September

Awarding institution

Bishop Grosseteste University

Institution code

B38

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About this course

Health and social care delivery has always been an area of debate in both the public and political arenas. It was a key feature in the manifestos of the main political parties in the last UK election due to concerns that health and care systems were being overwhelmed by unprecedented demand (Oliver, et al, 2014). With the UK population of over 75’s projected to more than double in size in the next 20 years, and currently over 22% of our population being over 65, demand for both health and social care services continues to increase at an unprecedented rate. Additionally, the COVID19 Pandemic has accentuated demands on the sector and exposed very real fragilities that need to be urgently addressed. This course provides the opportunity to consider these issues and to critical evaluate how to start to make things better by doing things differently.

Additional materials

All sectors within health and social care provision require both high quality initial education and training, alongside sustained and consistent updates such as Continuous Professional Development (CPD) both informally and formally, through creditable programmes of learning and education.

This BSc (Hons) provides an entry point into several career paths in the Health and Social Care sectors. It is designed to allow students to pursue and apply knowledge and understanding of health and social care whilst following a systematic and critical review of evidence-based practice. Applied research is embedded throughout, supported by objective observation and critical analysis.

It is considered that consistent and high-quality education and learning challenges the status quo within practice and encourages reflection on and in practice, which inspires practice confidence and service enhancement and improvement.

The degree includes opportunities to carry out primary research in work placements, while studying, thus supporting post graduate career opportunities. It provides an opportunity to bolster CVs and build networks in practice.

This flexible, learner-centred programme provides opportunities for those working within, or looking for a career in, Health and Social Care to not only critically reflect on and evaluate their own practice and that of others, but also to enable a critical review of the strategic position of provision, thus ensuring this is contextually ‘fit for purpose’ and sustainable for future delivery demands.

This course focuses on contemporary health and social care provision and considers how we can learn from the past and the present to improve the future for those using health and social care services.

Connectivity to the health and social care sector is key within the programme. The programme team are all experienced professionals from within the health and social care sector and provide you with the opportunity to meet many providers and experienced sector workers.

Carer Quality Award

Bishop Grosseteste University has been awarded The Carers Charter Quality Award ‘You Care – We Care’. This ensures that the profile of unpaid carers in Lincolnshire is raised and the invaluable and essential contribution they make is recognised, enabling carers to live fulfilling lives combined with their caring roles.

The Award also recognises the importance of supporting carers in education, i.e. students here at BGU as well as supporting staff who may also have caring responsibilities.

Undertaking the Lincolnshire Carers Quality Award helps strengthen organisational effectiveness and achieves recognition for the valuable way an organisation supports those carers with whom it works. It ensures the continuing development of quality approaches for those with caring responsibilities across Lincolnshire and beyond.

Placements

Work based experience is integral to our programme. Each student on the BSc (Hons) will have three scheduled placements over the course of three years, one per year, amounting to a minimum of 180 hours.

All placements provide a valuable insight and varied experience across the Health and Social Care sector. Students are encouraged to reflect on their experiences both whilst in placement with the support of the setting and then back in the classroom and through assignments. Reflection and discussion support students to expound their knowledge, consider their and others values, and develop their practice skills to become healthcare practitioners. Having the opportunity to experience health and social care practice in different parts of the sector empowers students to apply theory to practice and to build a genuine understanding of the issues and tensions in health and social care practice.

We have developed a range of partnerships within the sector with agencies, all of whom provide valuable placements as well as connect with students during classroom-based sessions. Thus, ensuring our graduating students can “hit the road running” with the relevant graduate attributes and employment skills when they graduate from BGU.

Our collaborations include:

  • With You who provide critical support and intervention with those experiencing drug and alcohol difficulties.
  • Every-One provide opportunities for person-centred approaches, keeping people at the centre of their health and wellbeing, through enabling choice and control.
  • Lincoln city Foundation - provide opportunities to promote a better understanding of physical & mental health issues, and support and tackle health inequality.
  • As well as many others across Health and Social care such as:
    • General Practice,
    • Social services (Childrens’ and Adult),
    • and a number of Charities.

Free courses also include:

  • Access to The Learning Hub - a national digital platform providing access to a wide range of educational resources for health and care. With 31, 000 eLearning sessions available within 450+ programmes all accessible with the BGU student email.

Carers Awareness Training- in house

This training helps individuals Know what is meant by the term ‘carer’

  • Better identify carers who are employees, colleagues, students or service users
  • Understand the key principles of the Care Act
  • Understand the Carers Assessment
  • Understand legal responsibilities to carers in employment/ under Equal Opportunities legislation
  • Know more about the challenges carers face and the support they may need
  • Encourage carers to access support and know where to find it
  • Discover what carer support there is within the university and how to signpost

PREVENT training

The aims of the e-learning and in-house class seminar are to provide an overview of what PREVENT is, what it should mean to anyone working within a Health and social care setting, how it links in with general safeguarding responsibilities and how a referral can be made in the event of a concern about a student who might be vulnerable to a form of extremism.

What you will study

As a student on this course, you may study some or all of the modules listed below.

This module is an introduction to theories and concepts across the disciplines of sociology and psychology that pertain to health and social care practice.

This module requires you to develop an understanding of the theoretical concepts that inform a variety of complex group and individual human behaviours.

The module provides a theoretical-conceptual social science framework within which health and social care issues can be analysed as social phenomena. The relationship between behavioural psychology and organisational behaviour will also be explored with particular focus and application to the Health and Social Care arena.

This module will focus on practice issues in health and social care, ensuring you develop an understanding of important concepts such as multi-agency working and critical reflective practice.

The concept of assessments within health and social practice will be introduced. Awareness of personal, professional and ethical values are further explored within health and social care practice.

The first placement takes place during this module, and will enable you to experience health and social care practice, linking theory to practice. This will enable you to share your experience and knowledge with your peers.

The module will enable you to reflect on the utility of evidence in practice to support and inform effective Health and Social Care and enable effective decision making. It will support the initial awareness of the importance of research and evidence-informed practice, and its utility for and in practice. The module will develop the foundational skills to support your ability to critically review evidence-informed practice and consider the effective utility of practice informed research. The module will support confidence in your own skills of critical reflection and support you with initial decision-making processes with a view to empowering you to communicate possible changes in practice where incongruence exists. You will be introduced to appropriate ethical frameworks required to protect the rights, dignity and safety of those involved, but also which challenge the values and beliefs of self.

This module will introduce you to the working environment of Health and Social Care, incorporating the history, development and current climate. Contemporary issues are analysed, including the diversity of settings, delivery and roles within health and social care. Inequalities are introduced, highlighting social determinants of health, wellbeing and illness within the context of health and social care practice. You will be encouraged to explore your own values and the relationship of these to wider society and health and social care practice. The module also incorporates a formative essay that enables you to receive and reflect on feedback on essential academic components in higher education writing in order to develop these to feed forward into all future academic assessments.

This module is designed to encourage you to critically identify the tensions between legal, ethical and professional responsibilities from the perspective of health and social care practice. You will be assisted to further explore your own values and belief systems through a legal, ethical and professional lens. You will be supported to develop your knowledge regarding key pieces of health and social care legislation, professional codes of practice and organisational policies and procedures. The application of these on service provision, the service user and the professional will be examined. The module will consider what it means to be an accountable practitioner in contemporary health and social care practice.

This module is designed to explore diverse local and global perspectives of practice provision in field of Health and Social Care. This will incorporate a recognition of intercultural issues relevant to practice.

You will develop an appreciation of the importance of local and global public health and other policy initiatives around health and wellbeing. You will be encouraged to explore how these relate to contemporary Health and Social Care practice.

You will be supported to consider innovative ways of working to promote health and wellbeing within a changing global community.

Within the contemporary environment of Health and Social Care, there is an absolute need to be able to demonstrate the effectiveness of provision both individually and across organisations. In order to achieve and support this, practitioners need to be able to critically reflect on and in practice, evaluating evidence-based practice (including research) and be able to effectively utilise evidence to inform and improve practice. This module will enhance the skills learned with the Year 1 Module Introduction to Evidence-informed Practice and Decision Making, and encourage the development of independent research skills and literacy in preparation for the dissertation. You will be introduced to research paradigms, data collection methods and data analysis including the use of appropriate software packages. You will be introduced to research ethics processes and governance systems and consider how these protect the rights, dignity and safety of those involved.

This module will focus on professional practice in a domain of multi-agency and multi-disciplinary working. The complexities inherent in this work will be explored, ensuring consideration is given to professional and personal ethics and values. Leadership within the sector is examined, recognising differences, similarities and challenges across and within the sector.

The second placement takes place within this module, which provides the opportunity for you to enhance your knowledge and understanding of health and social care practice, and to build upon your portfolio of knowledge, skills and values. It also enables you to understand the direct and indirect relationships between your actual placement settings and the other agencies involved in the service users’ care.

This module introduces key concepts in Mental Health, Wellbeing and Resilience. The module encourages you to reflect on and challenge your own professional practice through critical personal reflection. You will define and interrogate key themes and concepts in Mental Wellbeing and Resilience.

You will then investigate how the intersection of ideas, practice and cultural change influences leaders and managers in professional contexts, institutions and systems.

The indicative content of this module focuses on defining and critically considers concepts such as anxiety, mood, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) etc and your impact from a service delivery and individual perspective. You will be encouraged to reflect on your own professional experiences.

CPD, or Continuing Professional Development, essentially ensures that individuals are proficient and competent within their work environment whilst furnishing them with essential skills that can help with career progression. It's not just a one-stop-shop, and is an essential skill which continues and develops throughout one’s career. Through a Continuing Professional Development framework, this module facilitates the synthesis of the theoretical and practical aspects of your development within the work based/practice environment. You will reflect on and critically explore your exposure to the work-place and consider how your exposure can be enhanced and advanced and thus support further role development and advancement.

This module brings together a range of theories, models and approaches that aim to identify and address the needs of service users and practitioners within Health and Social Care.

It will further develop the sociological and psychological theories covered earlier in the programme linking them to an area of your interest within Health and Social Care practice.

You will consider a holistic understanding of individuals’ expectations of the provision and delivery of Health and Social Care, from a local, national and global perspective. You will explore a range of strategies for managing service users’ expectations whilst appreciating the diversity of needs.

This module is designed to develop and enhance your leadership and management skills. Through your placement experience, academic teaching and learning you will have the opportunity to observe and explore a variety of different management and leadership styles. You will be supported to develop your knowledge and understanding of how effective management and leadership styles which include concepts such as coaching and entrepreneurship which contribute to practice development and innovation. The module will introduce a variety of appropriate resources to strengthen your knowledge and skills around leading service innovation in health and social care.

The Dissertation forms an essential component of the Undergraduate Honours award. It provides a major opportunity for you to demonstrate an ability to work ethically and independently. An academic supervisor will be allocated to support this. The aim of this module is to enable you to demonstrate critical analysis, problem solving, objective evaluation and reflection on an area of health and social care practice. In addition to the application of subject specific skills and general skills such as critical analysis, reasoning and the development of an argument, you will also be expected to display initiative, creative thinking, familiarity with the literature and organisational skills. You are required to select an area of study and to explore fully its relevance to your professional field, reflecting your in-depth study of a chosen topic area of practice, i.e. Health and Social Care.

This module builds on the acquisition of research skills attained throughout the programme, but in particular during the final year within the Dissertation module. The module provides you with a platform from which to demonstrate, consolidate and communicate your research learning. It supports learner reflexivity and the opportunity to critically consider how evidence can be utilised in practice and for your own practice.

Life expectancy is increasing. In the UK, the average person now lives to the age of 81, up from 77 in 2000 (ONS, 2021). This increase in lifespan has not been matched, however, with an increase in ‘healthspan’ i.e. years of healthy and independent life. Many older adults suffer from increased frailty, and other common health problems. This module critically considers current challenges and opportunities related to healthy ageing. It will explore a range of tools and methodologies to support healthy ageing which will include sociological and psychological perspectives. This module will consider not only health and its maintenance, but consider ways of assessing frailty, and explore measures to slow its onset. This module will be supported by the most contemporary evidence available and will critically reflect upon the utility of this in practice. This module also considers the responses of the policy makers to the increasingly ageing population by reflection on the UK Government’s Ageing Society Grand Challenge, which is “for people to enjoy five more years of healthy, independent living by 2035”. It also coincides with the WHO’s Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021-2030).

Entry requirements

You will normally need 96-112 UCAS tariff points (from a maximum of four Advanced Level qualifications). We welcome a range of qualifications that meet this requirement, such as A/AS Levels, BTEC, Access Courses, International Baccalaureate (IB), Cambridge Pre-U, Extended Project etc.

However this list is not exhaustive – please click here for details of all qualifications in the UCAS tariff.

Find out more about the international application process including English Language requirements.

Further information

Click here for important information about this course including additional costs, resources and key policies.

In accordance with University conditions, students are entitled to apply for Recognition of Prior Learning, RP(C)L, based on relevant credit at another HE institution or credit Awarded for Experiential Learning, (RP(E)L).

How you will be taught

There is no one-size-fits-all method of teaching at BGU – we shape our methods to suit each subject and each group, combining the best aspects of traditional university teaching with innovative techniques to promote student participation and interactivity.

You will be taught in a variety of ways, from lectures, tutorials and seminars, to practical workshops, coursework and work-based placements. Small group seminars and workshops will provide you with an opportunity to review issues raised in lectures, and you will be expected to carry out independent study.

Placements are a key part of degree study within many courses at BGU. They provide an enriching learning experience for you to apply the skills and knowledge you will gain from your course and, in doing so, give valuable real-world experience to boost your career.

Assessment

We recognise that individuals come from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences, so we use a variety of assessment strategies on our courses.

Assessments in Health & Social Care will be varied, depending on the subject matter and the intended learning outcomes.

You will write essays, develop presentations and class papers, lead discussions, engage with multi-media and ICT projects, complete 11 reflective diaries, devise case studies and role plays, and participate in skills based practice sessions and enquiry-based learning.

Careers & Further study

On completing a Health & Social Care degree at BGU, you will have developed a broad range of skills and attributes which will make you ideally suited for a wide range of employment opportunities or for further study. Possible future career directions could include work as a Family Support Worker, work within drug and alcohol-related support services, support work in relation to homelessness or family violence, or employment in the fields of community, public or mental health as well as more traditional health care services.

What Our Students Say

Discover what life is like at Bishop Grosseteste University from our students.

Support

Studying at BGU is a student-centred experience. Staff and students work together in a friendly and supportive atmosphere as part of an intimate campus community. You will know every member of staff personally and feel confident approaching them for help and advice, and staff members will recognise you, not just by sight, but as an individual with unique talents and interests.

We will be there to support you, personally and academically, from induction to graduation.

CURA Carers Newsletter Oct 23

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Fees & Finance

A lot of student finance information is available from numerous sources, but it is sometimes confusing and contradictory. That’s why at BGU we try to give you all the information and support we can to help to throughout the process. Our Student Advice team are experts in helping you sort out the funding arrangements for your studies, offering a range of services to guide you through all aspects of student finance step by step.

Click here to find information about fees, loans and support which will help to make the whole process a little easier to understand.

Undergraduate course applicants must apply via UCAS using the relevant UCAS code. For 2024 entry, the application fee is £27, and you can make a maximum of 6 choices.
For all applicants, there are full instructions at UCAS to make it as easy as possible for you to fill in your online application, plus help text where appropriate.