• Offered for Year: 2025/26

• Module Leader(s): Miss Louise Dickie
• Lecturer: Dr Michele Castelli

• Owning School: Biomedical, Nutritional and Sports Scien
• Teaching Location: Mixed Location

Semesters

Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.

Aims

This module has the following aims:

1.       To introduce learners to the principles of quality improvement and service redesign in the health care setting.
2.       To appraise the theory of change management in the health care context.
3.       To develop and demonstrate skills in quality improvement techniques.

Outline Of Syllabus

The module has been designed to equip learners with the knowledge and skills needed to drive positive change in health care systems, with content that is flexible, to navigate the ever-evolving challenges and innovations shaping the field of quality improvement.
     
1.       Identifying the need for change
      Exploring contemporary issues in health care
      Drivers for change
      Stakeholders and service user involvement
     
2.       Managing change
      Models and tools
      Barriers to change
      Change and system improvement
      Leadership for change
      Effective communication and collaboration
     
3.       Planning for Quality Improvement
      Determine the root cause of a problem
      Develop effective improvement strategies and project plan
      Evaluating change
      Sustaining improvement
      Sharing best practice

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The majority of the module will be delivered using online asynchronous teaching methods including pre-recorded materials, integrated learning activities, and directed reading. This will support learners to gain a detailed knowledge of the theory and practice of health care quality improvement and evidence-based service redesign. A significant component of the module comprises fieldwork, so that learners can identify an idea, as well as formulate and refine a project charter, to improve an aspect of service provision relevant to their own health care context.

Synchronous learning activities including online live tutorials, will broaden the learner’s knowledge of planning for quality improvement and encourage effective communication and offers the opportunity for learners to justify quality improvements and demonstrate the appropriate application of tools.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Other Assessment

Formative Assessments

Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

FORMATIVE ASSESSMENT:
Oral presentation – This short presentation will assess the learners proposed quality improvement idea and service re-design strategies. Leaners will outline their improvement idea to an audience, which includes peers and module contributors. The feedback from this supportive environment can be taken into the written summative assessment.

SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENT:
Written exercise – Students will submit the finalised project charter, in a standard format. This format is commonly required for quality improvement projects in practice and requires students to demonstrate the application of the theory and practice of change management in the health care context.

MDiet candidates must obtain an overall mark of 50 or above to pass the module, however, if the module has more than one assessment students must also achieve a mark of at least 35 in each component of the assessment to pass the module.

Resit – Students will be required to resubmit their project charter.

Reading Lists

• DTC4002's Reading List

Timetable

• Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
• DTC4002's Timetable