LEADING PEOPLE IN HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE - 2025/6

Module Overview

This module provides students with a fundamental understanding of the core principles of engaging, supporting and leading people. Students will be empowered to support or create workplaces where staff thrive and collaborate, enabling patients and users of health and social care services to feel safe and supported.

Exploring the concepts of care, compassion, courage, and vulnerability, to develop skills in enhancing relationships and creating safe environments.

Module provider

School of Health Sciences

Module Leader

WARD Hayley (Health Sci.)

Number of Credits: 15

ECTS Credits: 7.5

Framework: FHEQ Level 6

Module cap (Maximum number of students): N/A

Module Availability

Semester 1

Prerequisites / Co-requisites

N/A

Module content

Who is a leader? The module starts with an exploration of self, experiences of leadership and examination of the importance of reflection and self-development within leadership. Exploration of theories of leadership and leadership behaviours. Leading with care and valuing people. Building psychologically safe environments, consideration of courage, compassion, vulnerability, and emotional readiness.  How to generate environments that support professional behaviours, challenge unprofessional behaviours, and hold people to account Developing capability

Assessment pattern

Alternative Assessment

N/A

Assessment Strategy

The assessment strategy is designed to provide students with the opportunity to demonstrate their competence relating to the modules learning outcomes. Thus, the summative assessment for this module consists of: A 2500 word, critical exploration of a challenge related to Leading People¿ within Health or Social Care settings. Students will be required to: Choose from a broad list of common health and social care issues that relates to leading people. Critically explore the evidence-base supporting this challenge, systematically applying theory to their specific practice area.  Develop a personal action plan, considering how as a developing leader they can apply this knowledge to create positive outcomes or safe working environments. This assignment  will assess learning outcomes 1-4. Formative assessment: Option to submit 300-word sample of academic writing, that will be assessed and returned with written feedback. Feedback: Students will receive written feedback on their formative and summative assessment as well as verbal feedback on smaller, contributing tasks set as classwork during the module. Tutorials will also be offered.

Module aims

• Equip students with a critical understanding of the fundamental principles needed to engage, support and lead people.
• Empower students with knowledge and tools that can be used when managing teams and individuals in complex health and social care environments.
• Challenge students to critically explore the importance of courage and vulnerability when creating safe working environments.

Learning outcomes

Methods of Teaching / Learning

The learning and teaching strategy is designed to: Stimulate thought and discussion, whilst drawing upon the diverse richness of the group. The module will have students from a variety of profession, personal, and cultural backgrounds, and experiential learning will be core to the module. Students will be encouraged and supported to recognise and explore their assumptions and develop their understanding of traditional and contemporary leadership theory and how this can be applied to their own developing practice. The learning and teaching methods include:

• seminars


• e-learning online tutorials


• case studies/scenarios


• group work


• panel discussion 


• independent study

Indicated Lecture Hours (which may also include seminars, tutorials, workshops and other contact time) are approximate and may include in-class tests where one or more of these are an assessment on the module. In-class tests are scheduled/organised separately to taught content and will be published on to student personal timetables, where they apply to taken modules, as soon as they are finalised by central administration. This will usually be after the initial publication of the teaching timetable for the relevant semester.

Reading list

https://readinglists.surrey.ac.uk
Upon accessing the reading list, please search for the module using the module code: HCR3031

Other information

The school/department of Health Sciences is committed to developing graduates with strengths in Employability, Digital Capabilities, Global and Cultural Capabilities, Sustainability, and Resourcefulness and Resilience. This module is designed to allow students to develop knowledge, skills, and capabilities in the following areas: Employability: Students on this module could come from a number of professional backgrounds, as the module is available within a number of MSc pathway¿s and as a standalone module. However, for progression within health and social care careers, evidence of understanding of strong people leadership skills is core. Students will have the opportunity to develop their own skill set, and will leave with enhanced confidence and competence that will enable them to develop within their desired career pathway. Global and cultural capabilities: From a broad concept of global and cultural capabilities, the heart of this module is about care, compassion, equity, diversity and understanding. Through the exploration of creating safe working environments, students will be empowered to question and challenge any behaviours that are not supportive and inclusive. Resourcefulness and Resilience: The module¿s teaching approach puts emphasis on independent learning and strong reflective practice, encouraging students to independently define problems and identify evidence-based strategies for resolving them and developing an personalised action plan. Resilience and vulnerability will be explored as a key characteristic of effective leaders, allowing students to recognise the positivity of these traits and the importance of resourcefulness in professional practice.

Please note that the information detailed within this record is accurate at the time of publishing and may be subject to change. This record contains information for the most up to date version of the programme / module for the 2025/6 academic year.