HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE 

Introducing health and social care

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This module takes you into the lives of care workers and care service users through in-depth case studies. The module materials are written in clear, simple language and a friendly, thought-provoking style. The module is brought to life through audio, video and interactive activities which will set you thinking – drawing on your own ideas and experience to deepen your learning and help you understand the essentials of good practice.

Unit 1:
Explores what it means to be a carer, firstly in the context of informal or family care and then moving on to formal or professional care. It examines the requirements for being a professional carer such as professional standards as well as the demands and rewards of being involved in providing care.

Unit 2:
Explores human development across the life course through the lens of three case studies. The first focuses on the impact of migration on human development, the second considers how involvement in crime affects people across the life course and the final case study focuses on the needs of people with learning disabilities transitioning from children to adult services. The Block also explores the impact of disadvantage and discrimination to human needs across the life course. These issues will be considered through the lens of a video case study of a preschool play group supporting migrant families service in Edinburgh.

Unit 3:
Examines the important issue of safeguarding. You will learn about the definitions of risk in the context of both adults and children’s services. You will also explore the ways in which health and social care services respond to promoting wellbeing and protecting people who are vulnerable. These issues will be considered through the lens of a video case study of a drug and alcohol service in Belfast.

Unit 4:
Introduces some of the core concepts of sociology and how these can help you develop a deeper understanding of health and social care needs and services. In particular you will learn about the importance of identity and how identities change in particular contexts. You will also learn about how needs change as people move through important transitions such as ageing and becoming more dependent.

Unit 5:
Explores the settings in which care takes place and is managed. You visit a wide variety of care environments, from domestic homes, to residential and hospital settings, exploring their physical, social and psychological impact and the extent to which they are enabling or disabling. In particular you will consider the service user and also the professional perspectives on navigating services. These themes will be illustrated with a video case study of an educational mental health resource in Oxford.

Unit 6:
Introduces innovation and digital delivery of health and social care services. You will learn about why technological innovation is important and the advantages and challenges of digital service delivery. You will consider your own digital footprint and use of social media. The issues of this block are illustrated through a video case study of a digital app to support the treatment of people with post traumatic stress disorder filmed at the National Centre for Mental Health in Cardiff.

You will learn:
This module is a compulsory part in health and social care. It’s designed to provide a broad foundation of essential knowledge and skills for studies in the care field. It provides a thorough and supported programme to develop the skills of independent learning that all students require, particularly the skill of communicating effectively in writing.

Perspectives in health and social care

Health and social care is an important and complex topic that is seldom out of the news. Studying this module will help you get to grips with three important areas which affect us all in our adult lives—health and wellbeing, mental health and ageing and later life. You’ll be introduced to some of the key concepts, theories and debates and explore a rich mixture of real-life case studies, audio-visual material and academic texts, all developed by experts drawing on cutting-edge research. An equally important focus of K118 is on developing your study and employment-related skills, allowing you to enhance your understanding of professional and service user-focused practice in health and social care.  

What you will study

Unit 1:
Health and wellbeing examines what is meant by wellbeing, how that affects individuals’ health, and what people can do at an individual level to improve their health and wellbeing. You’ll be introduced to the wide (and perhaps surprising) range of activities that support people’s wellbeing and also examine how differently people can respond to adversity. But you’ll also look at the bigger picture of how someone’s wellbeing is affected by where they live, the organisations in which they live or work and the inequalities in wider society. You’ll develop your understanding of these important issues through exploring case studies from a diverse range of contexts such as community arts projects, living with M.E. and bereavement.

Unit 2:
Mental health introduces the topics of mental health and illness starting with a broad coverage of the conditions that are most commonly diagnosed as mental health problems. You’ll find out about the ways in which responses to mental illness have varied over the years and how experts still differ as to the best ways to treat mental distress. You’ll focus particularly on two conditions, depression and bi-polar disorder, and hear directly from people living with these conditions about how they affect their daily lives. You’ll also be introduced to some of the debates about how best to treat or respond to people experiencing them.

Unit 3:
Ageing and later life will introduce you to critical issues in ageing and later life in the context of an ageing population. We are often told that there will be difficulties in the future because of our ageing population but in this block you will see that many older people are healthy and active and continue to make very significant contributions to society. When people do become frail and in need of support it can be challenging to ensure that their needs are met in ways that respect their individuality and personhood. You will be introduced to some key theories that help to explain modern ageing, including the notion of the Third and Fourth Ages, the impact of ageism and the diversity of older people. This module is suitable for a general audience but is likely to be of particular interest to you if you have already studied An introduction to health and social care (K101). It focuses on the lives of adults of all ages. If you are already working in the fields of health, mental health or ageing, or hoping for a career in these areas, you are likely to find the materials particularly relevant. This module is also suitable for people with a more general interest in health and social care.