🇬🇧 LEVEL 7 CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN GLOBAL HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE POLICY

🇬🇧 LEVEL 7 CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN GLOBAL HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE POLICY

Total Learning Hours: 150
Level: RQF Level 7 (Postgraduate / Master’s Level)
Credit Value: 15 Credits
Duration: 10 Weeks × 15 Hours
Qualification Context: Designed for learners in Postgraduate Diplomas or MSc in Health and Social Care Leadership, Global Development, or Public Health Policy.

🎯 Overall Module Learning Outcomes

By the end of this module, learners will be able to:

  1. Critically analyse contemporary global health and social care challenges, including inequality, migration, and digital transformation.
  2. Evaluate the impact of international and national policy frameworks (WHO, UN SDGs, NHS, African Union Agenda 2063) on health and social outcomes.
  3. Compare governance and leadership responses across developed and developing contexts (e.g., UK, Nigeria, South Africa).
  4. Apply critical, ethical, and decolonial perspectives to health and social policy.
  5. Design evidence-based strategies and recommendations for equitable and sustainable global health systems.

🗂️ Module Structure

Section

Thematic Focus

Indicative Hours

Section 1

Global Health and Social Policy Frameworks

30 hours

Section 2

Comparative Health Systems (UK, Africa, Asia)

30 hours

Section 3

Leadership, Ethics, and Governance in Social Care

25 hours

Section 4

Globalisation, Decolonisation, and Equity

25 hours

Section 5

Research, Reflection, and Policy Design

30 hours

Total

  

150 hours

🗓️ WEEKLY LESSON PLAN OUTLINE

Week

Topic / Focus

Learning Activities

Class Tasks

Homework / Assignments

Video / Resources

1

Introduction to Global Health & Social Policy

Explore evolution of global health governance; define key terms.

Group mapping: global vs. local health systems.

1-page reflection: “Why study global health policy?”

🎥 WHO – Global Health Governance Explained

2

Policy Frameworks: WHO, UN SDGs, AU Agenda 2063

Analyse global policy drivers shaping care systems.

Compare WHO health indicators vs. SDG targets.

Write a short policy summary: “SDGs and Health Equity.”

🎥 UNDP – SDGs and Human Development

3

Comparative Health Systems: England, Nigeria, and South Africa

Evaluate financing, access, and cultural competence.

Debate: “Public vs. Private Health Systems – Which Delivers Better Equity?”

Report (2 pages): “Health Governance in Nigeria and UK Compared.”

🎥 The King’s Fund – How the NHS Works

4

Leadership and Governance in Health and Social Care

Explore transformational and distributed leadership models.

Role-play: Crisis leadership during a pandemic.

Write reflection: “Leadership under Pressure in Health Emergencies.”

🎥 NHS Leadership Academy – Leading with Compassion

5

Ethics, Accountability, and Human Rights

Analyse professional ethics and rights-based approaches.

Case study: whistleblowing and patient rights.

Critical essay outline: “Ethical Decision-Making in Health Policy.”

🎥 WHO – Health Equity and Human Rights

6

Decolonising Global Health and Social Care

Critically review Eurocentric models; explore African epistemologies.

Debate: “Can Global Health be Decolonised?”

Essay draft: “Decolonising Health Systems – Lessons from Africa.”

🎥 Wellcome Trust – Decolonising Global Health

7

Digital Health, Data, and Innovation

Examine AI, telemedicine, and data governance.

Case analysis: “AI and Patient Privacy.”

Write: Policy brief on ethical digital innovation.

🎥 BBC Future – The Digital Divide in Health

8

Globalisation, Migration, and Inequality

Discuss impact of migration, pandemics, and conflict.

Group task: Map cross-border health inequities.

Essay draft: “Migration and Healthcare Access Inequalities.”

🎥 UCL – Migration, Refugees, and Health Systems

9

Research-Informed Policy & Practice

Apply research evidence to policy design and implementation.

Workshop: translating evidence into recommendations.

Finalise research-based essay (3,000 words).

🎥 Open University – Evidence-Based Practice in Health

10

Synthesis, Reflection, and Policy Presentation

Student-led policy presentations; peer review.

Final presentation: 10-min global policy proposal.

Submit final essay: “Comparative Global Health Policy Analysis.”

🎥 TEDx – Rethinking Health Systems for Global Equity

🧾 Assessment Structure

Component

Type

Weighting

Assessment Criteria

Formative

Case studies, policy reviews, reflections

30%

Critical engagement, analytical depth, clarity

Summative

Final comparative essay (3,000 words)

40%

Theoretical integration, evidence-based reasoning

Presentation

Global Health Policy Proposal

20%

Innovation, relevance, professional presentation

Participation

Discussion, debate, peer feedback

10%

Leadership, collaboration, communication

💡 Teaching & Learning Approach

  • Critical pedagogy: Students challenge, evaluate, and reconstruct knowledge.
  • Comparative analysis: Connecting Global North and Global South systems.
  • Research-informed learning: Integration of data, policy papers, and reports.
  • Collaborative inquiry: Group debates, simulations, and workshops.
  • Reflective integration: Journals, portfolios, and professional practice reflections.

📚 Recommended Readings

Core Texts

  • Kickbusch, I. (2021). Global Health Governance: Challenges and Opportunities.
  • Bambra, C. (2020). Health Inequalities and Policy in a Global Context.
  • Omaswa, F. & Crisp, N. (2018). African Health Leaders: Making Change and Claiming the Future.
  • Dominelli, L. (2022). Social Work and Global Health Crises.

Journals

  • Global Public Health
  • Social Science & Medicine
  • Health Policy and Planning
  • International Journal of Social Welfare

Websites

  • World Health Organization (WHO)
  • United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)
  • African Union (AU) – Agenda 2063
  • The King’s Fund UK

🎓 Expected Graduate Competencies

By the end of this module, postgraduate learners will demonstrate:

✅ Advanced critical understanding of global and comparative health systems.
✅ Ability to synthesise theory, research, and policy into actionable frameworks.
✅ Capacity for ethical reasoning and decolonial critique.
✅ Leadership, innovation, and advocacy skills in global social care practice.
✅ Readiness for policy advisory, NGO leadership, or doctoral-level study.

🧭 Suggested Module Integration

This module aligns well with:

  • MSc / PGDip in Health and Social Care Management
  • MA in Global Development Studies
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Public Health Policy

It can also serve as a capstone or elective module focus