Personal Professional Development (Public Health and Primary Care) / Course details

Year of entry: 2025

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Course unit details:
Health Systems Challenges

Course unit fact file
Unit code	POPH62212
Credit rating	15
Unit level	FHEQ level 7 – master's degree or fourth year of an integrated master's degree
Teaching period(s)	Semester 2
Available as a free choice unit?	No

Overview

It is envisaged that this unit will be of most interest and relevance to students working in health and social care systems. It will be most applicable to clinicians, managers, and researchers. It is also relevant to any student interested in global health. No pre-existing knowledge is required.

This is an interactive online course. Students are expected to engage in weekly discussion boards with their peers and tutors.

Students will engage in a group activity which is not graded. You must also participate in group discussions on Blackboard throughout the course.

Aims

To gain an understanding of the complexity of health systems and strategies designed to strengthen them.

Learning outcomes

To understand the roles and responsibilities of health systems
To understand the basic components of any health system
To understand the importance of context to health system strengthening
To appreciate how other players both within countries and outside interact with health systems.
To apply learning about health systems to specific health topics or countries

Syllabus

Topics Covered:

Introduction to health systems
Health Service Delivery
Health workforce
Information and Decision Making
Medicinal products, vaccines & deliveries
Health Systems Financing
Universal Health Coverage
Group Task Week
Leadership, Governance and Regulation
Monitoring and Strengthening Health Services

Teaching and learning methods

The majority of the course material to be covered is provided through the written course unit, links to journal articles, web sites and digital book chapters. Some weeks the students will work on an exercise individually or in a group towards assessed discussion boards. This unit will encourage students to share their experiences and use examples from their own practice or area of interest as a basis for their assignments.

There will be regular interaction with the tutors through scheduled webinars (which will be recorded and made available) and through the online discussion boards. Students will be encouraged to use self-reflection to think about the ideas discussed, and take part in discussion board activities. Students should work through the unit in a logical sequence. The individual course unit timetables will guide what should be done and when. Participation in the discussion boards is greatly encouraged, and can help enhance your learning experience and prepare you for your assessment.

In line with guidance from the Office for Students and Quality Assurance Agency, the programme will be augmented by the Programme Director Seminar Series to deliver study skills, written English, academic writing, research skills, critical thinking and understanding arguments, careers and employability skills, revision/assessment/examination skills including time management.

Knowledge and understanding

To understand the roles and responsibilities of health systems
To understand the basic components of any health system
To understand the importance of context to health system strengthening

Intellectual skills

To appreciate how other players both within countries and outside interact with health systems

Practical skills

To apply learning about health systems to specific health topics or countries

Transferable skills and personal qualities

To critically appraise the evidence base as relevant to health systems
To critically synthesise the evidence base succinctly as relevant to health systems

Employability skills

Analytical skills: At master's level we expect students to be able to apply what they know to other contexts, often their own. In this unit students will have the opportunity of doing this in their final assignment.
Group/team working: Team working is important for all health professionals and especially Public Health specialists. This unit has a non-graded on-line group working exercise.
Written communication: Students will submit a final assignment written essay on a health topic of their choosing.

Assessment methods

Method	Weight
Written assignment (inc essay)	100%

Feedback methods

Students will be provided with personalised feedback within 20 working days for their final summative assignment (3,000 words maximum or equivalent)

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
eAssessment	50
Seminars	12

Independent study hours
Independent study	88

Teaching staff

Staff member	Role
Elizabeth Dalgarno	Unit coordinator

Additional notes

For further information please watch this video from our Course Unit Leader.

If you have any questions about the content of this unit, please contact the course unit leader, Elizabeth Dalgarno, via email at elizabeth.dalgarno@manchester.ac.uk. If you have any other queries, please contact the PGT programme administrators via email at shs.programmes@manchester.ac.uk

FBMH faculty marking criteria will be used to grade final assignments, but students will be given guidance beforehand.

There will be a specific webinar to prepare students for the final assignment.

Students engage in a non-weighted group task and discussion boards where they receive regular feedback. They will also have the opportunity to submit a draft final assignment for feedback prior to final submission.

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