Health and Social Care with Foundation Year

Health and social care is one of the most significant areas of public life, touching every community and underpinning the wellbeing of millions of people. Studying it at degree level means engaging seriously with how services are organised and funded, how policy shapes what practitioners can do, and what it actually means to support people living with long-term conditions, disabilities, mental health challenges, or the effects of social disadvantage. This course at the University of Derby is designed to be closely aligned with the UK health and social care policy framework, so what you study reflects the real landscape you will enter as a graduate.

This programme includes a foundation year, giving you four years in total and a carefully supported transition into degree-level study. During the course you will explore the social, psychological, and structural determinants of health, the history and ethics of care provision, and the ways individuals, families, and communities experience and navigate health and social care systems. You will develop skills in critical thinking, communication, and professional reflection that are essential for anyone working in or alongside public services.

The programme encourages you to consider how inequalities are produced and reproduced, and what more equitable, person-centred care looks like in practice.

Graduates from health and social care programmes work across a wide range of settings, including adult social care, children's services, community health organisations, housing and voluntary sector bodies, and commissioning and policy roles within local government and the NHS. The degree also prepares you for further professional training in social work, nursing, public health, and allied health disciplines. For those who want to contribute to improving the lives of people in their communities, this course provides both the knowledge base and the professional confidence to do that.