Leading Integrated Care

Entry requirements

• a first degree (2:2 class or above) or international equivalent from an approved institution of higher education.
• extensive experience of working in the health or social care sectors may be considered as equivalent to a good honours degree for suitable applicants.

Months of entry

September

Course content

This programme is aimed at professionals from any background – both clinical (e.g. medical, nursing and allied health professionals) and non-clinical (e.g. commissioners, managers and policymakers) - working within health or social care organisations who wish to develop their knowledge, understanding and skills relating to integrated and person-centred care.

It is designed to meet the professional needs of those who are either already occupying leadership or management roles, or who wish to move into such roles, and who are interested in leading integrated care initiatives for the benefit of their local populations, service users and carers, and organisations.

The benefits of care that is personalised and coordinated across different healthcare settings, across mental and physical health, and across health and social care have been well documented. It has been shown to improve health and other outcomes for service users, and to reduce fragmentation and inefficiencies in service delivery. It is also seen as a key mechanism for addressing staff shortages and the growing demand for health and social care services.

The development of integrated and person-centred care is therefore now seen as a top priority among policymakers around the world. However, despite many excellent examples of effective integrated services delivering significant improvements in care, progress has been slow and uneven, and much work is still needed in order to embed the culture and practice of integrated care across the whole of the health and social care system.

Creating and sustaining genuine change requires organisations and professionals to work differently, and to adopt a systematic approach to engaging patients in decisions about their health and wellbeing. However, organisations vary widely in their preparedness for change, and in the skills, resources and leadership capacity available to them.

This innovative programme has been designed to help tackle these challenges. It aims to:

• respond to and keep abreast of the rapid evolution in the policy, theory and practice of integrated and person-centred care;
• introduce you to the key concepts and models of integration and personalisation as applied to health and social care, and the values, principles, evidence and theories that underpin them;
• emphasise the need for strategic initiatives through partnerships between health, social care and other public, private and voluntary sector organisations;
• provide a forum for sharing knowledge and experience with other participants through discussion and debate;
• develop critically reflective leaders, practitioners or researchers who will contribute to leading and transforming health and social care;
• develop your understanding of how integrated services are planned, implemented, evaluated and commissioned, using real-world examples and case studies to illustrate areas of success in integration and personalisation.