Health and Social Care and Management with Foundation Year

Health and Social Care and Management is a degree that recognises the increasing complexity of the organisations that deliver health and social care services and the need for managers who understand both the care contexts and the management principles that govern them. Health and social care in the UK is delivered through a vast network of NHS trusts, local authority social services, voluntary organisations, and private providers, all operating within frameworks of policy, regulation, and public accountability that are unlike those of other sectors. Managers within these systems need not only general management competencies but also a grounded understanding of the care professions and the ethical and human dimensions of the services they oversee.

At Birkbeck College in London, this four-year full-time programme begins with a foundation year that provides an accessible introduction to the disciplines of health and social care and management before you progress into the main degree. Birkbeck has a long tradition of educating students who are returning to study or who come from non-traditional academic backgrounds, and the foundation year is designed with that commitment in mind. Once in the main programme, you will study the organisation and policy context of health and social care services, the principles of management including finance, human resources, and organisational behaviour, and the specific challenges of leading and managing care organisations.

Research methods and evidence-based practice are also central to the curriculum.

You will develop both analytical and practical skills, learning to evaluate evidence about health and social care outcomes and to apply management principles in care contexts sensitively and effectively.

Graduates pursue careers in NHS management, social care management, service commissioning, policy analysis, and the voluntary sector. Many go on to postgraduate study in health services management, public health, or social policy. The foundation year makes this pathway accessible to a broad range of students.