MSc Public Health and Specialist Community Nursing

This module will provide you with an introduction to different research methods relevant to public health, health, and social care. Throughout the module, you will be encouraged to think how different research methods can apply to your own areas of specialist practice through discussion and practical exercises.

The public health, health, and social care ‘policies’ of national government, devolved administrations, states, local boroughs, authorities, and councils can significantly impact upon the health and wellbeing of communities and the health and social care practitioners working with them. This module involves a critical examination of the contemporary health, social care and public health policy agenda and its implications for the role and practice of specialist community public health and specialist community nurses working in the primary and community care setting.

This module aims to further develop the leadership and management competencies of qualified health and social care professionals. Throughout this module you will critically analyse theories underlying effective and efficient leadership, management and innovation development and implementation. You will have the opportunity to apply module content to plan your own practice innovation development relevant to your specialist area of practice.

This module will help you to develop the skills and knowledge for contemporary practice in your chosen professional field. The module is only available to students enrolled on the MSc/PGDip Public Health and Specialist Community Nursing (SCPHN/SPQ) (Community Children’s Nursing, District Nursing, General Practice Nursing, Community Nursing in Health and Social Care (Adult Social Care Nursing) and Community Nursing in Health and Social Care (Community Palliative and End of Life Care Nursing) Programme.

The module will support you to effectively assess children, young people, and adults with undiagnosed presentations, distinguish normal from abnormal findings and formulate differential diagnoses in order to manage, treat and/or refer patients.

This module has been designed to enable appropriately qualified, experienced healthcare practitioners registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) or Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) (chiropodists/podiatrists, physiotherapists, paramedics, and therapeutic radiographers), with prescribing rights, to enhance their scope of practice by facilitating their development into competent/proficient prescribers. A pre-requisite of undertaking this module is that you can evidence advanced clinical assessment skills, preferably gained by successfully completing an approved course of study.

The module is divided into three sections - Section 1 introduces psychological theories and evidence relevant to health and social care. Section 2 looks at the psychological impact of illness and psychological intervention. Section 3 uses case studies, such as childbirth and cardiovascular disease, to explore how psychological theory and intervention can be used in practice.

This module aims to provide you with an introduction to the care and management of persons with long term conditions, with a focus on primary and community care settings.

This module is designed for healthcare professionals who want to develop specialist knowledge and skills in providing assessment and management of symptoms caused by malignant and non-malignant conditions encountered in the palliative care of adults. The module focuses on the key concepts relevant to the assessment, management, and treatment of symptoms in advanced illness, and will enable you to review the aetiology, mechanism, assessment and treatment of common and difficult symptoms using a palliative care approach. The module is designed to enable you to develop your skills in assessing, diagnosing, planning, implementing and evaluating evidence based interventions and new therapies relevant to your own area of practice.

This module has been designed for practitioners of any healthcare discipline whose work involves caring for older people, people living with dementia and people living with frailty. The module will equip you with the knowledge and skills to manage the complexity of caring for people whose needs often span organisational boundaries and a continuum of care from diagnosis to end of life. The module will focus on ensuring people are at the centre of their care and decision making, along with their families and carers as appropriate.

The module aims to influence and change your respiratory practice in relation to asthma and COPD by increasing your knowledge, expertise and practical skills.

Your studies will prepare you to synthesise knowledge and understanding of concepts and principles that underpin supportive and palliative care practice and symptom management in relation to the care of patients with advanced progressive disease in your own area of practice (e.g. dementia, cardiac, renal, cancer, neurological disorders). The module encourages you to consider your own responses to advanced, life-limiting and palliative care, to help you develop the self-awareness and self-care attributes that will support your care of others and development in this area of practice.

This non-credited course aims to provide you with the requisite critical knowledge and understanding of the role and function of the National Health Service (NHS) cervical screening programme. This non credited course follows the national guidance in England on the training of new cervical sample takers as originally explicated in the Public Health England (PHE) (2020) Guidance. Education pathway and now updated by NHS England (2024).

This module is intended to develop your clinical skills, knowledge and critical understanding of minor injury and illness assessment to an advanced level, applicable to your own field of practice. You will develop your skills in patient consultation, history-taking, and physical assessment of patients who present with undifferentiated and undiagnosed minor injuries and illness. You will learn how to distinguish between normal and abnormal findings. The module is suitable for nurses and healthcare professionals working in acute and unscheduled care settings, such as emergency departments, walk in clinics, urgent care centres, primary care or other community and first contact settings. This includes, but is not limited to, Paramedics, Practice Nurses, and Nurse Practitioners.

This module is intended to enhance independent practice by developing your skills, knowledge and critical understanding of minor injury and illness management to an advanced level, applicable to your own field of practice. You will further develop your skills in patient consultation and assessment, and specifically your clinical decision-making skills in managing patients who present with minor injuries and ailments. Emphasis will be placed on utilising effective collaborative approaches in patient management, referral and discharge. The module is suitable for nurses and healthcare professionals working in acute and unscheduled care settings, such as emergency departments, walk-in clinics, urgent care centres, primary care or other community and first contact settings. This includes, but is not limited to, Paramedics, Practice Nurses, and Nurse Practitioners.

The aim of this module is to provide you with relevant skills, underpinned by a robust evidence base to support your role as a newly appointed GPN. This module will promote a culture of compassionate care that enshrines the 6Cs namely - Care, Compassion, Competence, Communication, Courage and Commitment) with the patient at the centre of all consultations.

The aim of this module is to provide you with relevant skills, underpinned by a robust evidence base to support the taught content of this module and to support your role as a newly appointed GPN. This module will promote a culture of compassionate care that enshrines the 6Cs namely - Care, Compassion, Competence, Communication, Courage and Commitment, with the patient at the centre of all consultations.

This module aims to prepare you to work in partnership with children, young people, parents, carers, families, and communities to establish, sustain and develop relationships so that effective assessments, interventions, and health surveillance can be undertaken. You will explore the challenges of working with children, young people, parents, carers, families, and communities and promoting health and wellbeing in a culturally diverse and changing landscape. You will explore the concept of early intervention, acknowledging the biopsychosocial, emotional, and socio-economic influences on development and wellbeing. You will develop your skills in identifying and responding effectively to the emerging needs of your client group.

This module will help you develop the skills and knowledge for contemporary practice in safeguarding the health and wellbeing of children, young people, and families. You will be enabled to work competently, maintaining safe practice in situations of complexity and additional need; identifying and managing risk in the community setting.

This module is aimed at students who have professional contact with children, young people and their families and are interested in developing their knowledge and understanding of therapeutic approaches to their psychological care.

Students who have successfully completed the Postgraduate Diploma award (120 taught credits) and hold current registration with the NMC as a Health Visitor or School Nurse or hold the recorded qualification of Community Children’s Nurse, Community Nursing in Health and Social Care, District Nurse, or General Practice Nurse will be eligible to return to complete the full MSc programme (180 credits) by completing the additional core 60 credit Dissertation Module (APM002). The Dissertation Module must be completed within five years of registration onto the Post Graduate programme.
The dissertation provides you with the opportunity to undertake a piece of original, independent research focussed on the topics that are of particular interest to you, and you wish to explore in greater depth.