BSc (Hons) / Postgraduate Certificate; MSc; Professional Certificate drafted

Program Overview

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The Frailty program, developed in collaboration with Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust, equips registered health professionals with specialized knowledge and skills in frailty care. Through a combination of evidence-based theory and contemporary clinical practice, this program fosters critical thinking and collaboration among healthcare practitioners, empowering them to deliver compassionate and effective care to individuals living with frailty.

Program Outline

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Degree Overview:

This Frailty course provides post-registration continuing professional development for registered health professionals. It aims to develop practitioners with a breadth of knowledge across all areas of the frailty speciality, who will be able to deliver evidence-based care to people living with frailty and their carers. This course has been developed in collaboration with Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust.

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Objectives:

• Develop practice excellence and the delivery of professional caring for people living with frailty.
• Develop practitioners with a breadth of knowledge across all areas of the frailty speciality.
• Deliver evidence-based care to people living with frailty and their carers.
The module considers contemporary approaches to the assessment and management of people living with frailty including management of frailty syndromes, along with strategies to promote patient engagement and participation in self-management.
• Maintaining Function and Quality of Life in the Frail Person (30 credits): This module aims to develop a critical understanding of reablement, person centred care and the wider determinants of health.
The module considers contemporary approaches to the assessment and management of people living with frailty including management of frailty syndromes, along with strategies to promote patient engagement and participation in self-management.
• Maintaining Function and Quality of Life in the Frail Person (30 credits): This module aims to develop a critical understanding of reablement, person centred care and the wider determinants of health.

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BSc

• Evidence in Clinical Practice (30 credits): This module recognizes the importance of clinical expertise as key to interpreting and applying research and professional evidence into practice.
Students will consider how evidence can inform practice and make credible recommendations for change. The module considers contemporary approaches to the assessment and management of people living with frailty including management of frailty syndromes, along with strategies to promote patient engagement and participation in self-management.
• Maintaining Function and Quality of Life in the frail Person (30 credits): This module aims to develop a critical understanding of reablement, person centred care and the wider determinants of health.
• Independent Study (30 credits): This module provides you with the opportunity for originality and intellectual independence into a specific area of your practice.
Students will be able to choose between an impact study (e.g. service evaluation or audit), a clinical change project, or critical review of practice.

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MSc

• Research in Nursing, Health and Social Care (30 credits): This module explores contemporary issues and debates in health research.
The module will prepare students with the knowledge and skills required to undertake research in their chosen field of professional practice. The module considers contemporary approaches to the assessment and management of people living with frailty including management of frailty syndromes, along with strategies to promote patient engagement and participation in self-management.
• Maintaining Function and Quality of Life in the Frail Person (30 credits): This module aims to develop a critical understanding of reablement, person centred care and the wider determinants of health.
• Independent Study (60 credits): This module provides you with the opportunity for originality and intellectual independence into a specific area of your practice.
Students will be able to choose between an impact study (e.g. service evaluation or audit), a clinical change project, or critical review of practice.

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Optional Modules (30 credits)

• Leadership in Nursing, Health & Social Care Practice (30 credits): The module will consider contemporary leadership theory, policy and research and will engage learners in critical reflection on their leadership approach.
It aims to support you to develop a critical awareness of different leadership theories and styles, critically analyse the challenges facing leaders working in healthcare and/or social care environment, construct strategies to lead change and innovation in their local area, and consider the role of the leader in addressing resilience of self and colleagues in the healthcare and/or social care environment. You will develop your skills to be able to assess, diagnose and prescribe for a range of conditions, be introduced to the knowledge and skills to work in partnership with other professionals to deliver evidence-based care in diverse health and social care settings, and be equipped with professional values and behaviours to demonstrate self-awareness, leadership and resilience.
• Clinical Assessment and Management in Emergency and Urgent Care Practice (30 credits): This module aims to Produce practitioners who promote optimal outcomes and demonstrate effective and competent practice in clinical assessment and management in both face to face and via remote methodologies, for patients presenting with undiagnosed and undifferentiated urgent or emergent injury or illness
• Contemporary Development in Emergency and Urgent Care Practice (30 credits): This module is designed to support registered health care practitioners working in the Emergency and Urgent Care who want to develop their knowledge and skills in the management of patients presenting with undifferentiated and undiagnosed injury and illness.
• Innovation in Nursing, Health and Social Care Practice (30 credits): In this module you will explore creativity, innovation and entrepreneurial thinking in nursing, health and social care.
• Fundamentals of Neonatal Care (30 credits): In this module you will gain a critical understanding of anatomy and pathophysiology, which informs neonatal care and therapeutic interventions in the low dependency and special care settings.
You will critically appraise the psychosocial and cultural needs of the family unit in the neonatal setting, communicate knowledge & associated clinical reasoning to peers drawing on complex situations to synthesise decision making, develop therapeutic relationships between the family unit and the MDT, and develop critical reflective skills to enhance personal & professional development.
• Fundamentals of Renal Care (30 credits): This module aims to develop a critical understanding of acute kidney injury and chronic kidney disease.
The module considers contemporary approaches to the assessment and management of renal conditions, along with strategies to promote patient engagement and participation in self-management.
• Fundamentals in Emergency and Acute Medicine (30 credits): This module will focus on the contemporary fundamental concepts in Acute Medicine and Emergency Care.
Learners will develop their core knowledge and critical thinking skills within these specialities. Through a symptom-based focus with constant consideration of application to practice, learners will enhance clinical practice by improving their ability to assess patients and plan, manage and critically evaluate their care. This will be achieved through pre-learning, classroom-based, patient scenario, simulation-based activities and completion of a work based portfolio.
• Contemporary Approaches in Renal Disease (30 credits): This module aims to develop a critical understanding of active therapeutic interventions which are used in the management of renal pathology.

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Course Schedule:

• Certificate: 1 year part time
• BSc: 18 months part-time
• MSc: 2-5 years part-time

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Assessment:

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Professional / Postgraduate Certificate in Frailty

• OSCE
• Presentation
• Written assignment

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BSc Frailty

• Critical review of literature
• Presentation
• Written assessment
• OSCE
• Project report

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MSc Frailty

• Research proposal
• Presentation
• Written assessment
• OSCE
• Project report

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Teaching:

• Lectures
• Problem-based learning
• Collaborative learning
• Reflection on clinical practice
• Blended delivery of on campus and online learning

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Other:

• The course offers a unique blend of evidence and contemporary clinical practice to support the development of knowledgeable frailty practitioners.
• Content includes critical appraisal of anatomy and pathophysiology to inform frailty care and therapeutic interventions, collaborative working and contemporary approaches to leadership.
• The course will encourage students to critically reflect on current practice, discuss underpinning research and professional guidance and debate case-studies to develop clinical expertise and inform clinical decision making.
• The learning environment and level of teaching will be the same for each level of study (post registration certificate, (level 6) or postgraduate (level 7).
The level of study and therefore attainment will be differentiated at assessment only, students will be assessed at either Level 6 or 7.
• Students should work within an appropriate health or social care setting while studying this course.
• The course will also use case studies relating to the specialty and workplace along with discussion of professional practice to facilitate the integration of theory and practice.

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Fees for courses starting between September 2024 and July 2025 Level of study Course cost ProfCert and PGCert £2,650 BSc £4,900 MSc £7,950