HOMELESS AND INCLUSION HEALTH NURSING

This module provides an immersive exploration of the multifaceted role of the Community Specialist Practitioner working across a range of health and social care settings, including homeless and inclusion health. Throughout this module, you will delve into key components such as self-awareness, professional nurse advocacy, leadership principles, teaching and learning, service improvement and evidence-based care, fostering autonomy and embracing digital technology for effective collaboration. Leadership strategies and impactful decision-making will be discussed, teaching you how to cultivate a positive learning culture in your workplace. You will strategically measure collaborative impact, engage in autonomous care management, and initiate evidence-based interventions. You will embrace the intricacies of quality improvement theory and design and take the lead on transformative changes in practice. You will complete and share a health profile analysis to engage in contemporary and evidence-based research. This module will equip yourself with the skills to influence healthcare strategies, navigate policy landscapes, and co-create services for improved care outcomes. On this enriching pathway towards becoming a proficient Community Specialist Practitioner, you will learn how to make a lasting impact on health and social care across diverse community settings.

This module will prepare you to demonstrate proficiency in clinical assessment of your users of service/client/patient group to complement and enhance your existing practice so that you can perform at the Community Specialist Practitioner level. This will include taking an in-depth, comprehensive history, conducting an appropriate physical examination and using clinical reasoning skills to formulate and refine relevant differential diagnoses and make prescribing decisions. Demonstration and supervised practice for physical examination and head-to-toe assessment will be provided. Although there will be an emphasis on clinical indications, the assessment will also consider mental and emotional health and social circumstances that warrant further assessment and/or onward appropriate referral to agencies/services. The module will introduce health literacy, mental health, and neurodiversity considerations to be made in the assessment process in recognition of the importance of using a holistic approach to all patient care.

This module focuses on developing your knowledge, skills and behaviours required to support effective leadership and change management within your field of community specialist practice. You will be required to engage in discussion on a variety of contemporary, complex and challenging scenarios, which require critical thinking and decision-making skills. By studying leadership and strategic management theories, you will be able to develop a service improve initiative which you can apply at personal, team, organisational and inter-organisational levels.

As an Independent/Supplementary (V300) prescriber in training, you will complete 24 study sessions of scheduled learning and teaching, which combine attendance for face-to-face, in-class work with more flexible, directed and self-directed study supported by e-learning approaches. Supervised learning in practice time is an integral part of this programme and is scheduled to run concurrently with theoretical learning throughout the programme. You will complete 90 hours of practice-based learning to complete the NMC Standards of Proficiency. With increasing demand to provide safe, appropriate, and cost-effective learning, the programme is available in blended and distance learning. The content is replicated, whether taught via blended learning (campus-based) or distance learning, to ensure parity. Therefore, you will be supported in applying and integrating your existing and developing professional knowledge and understanding within your field of clinical practice, thus providing an educational experience that seeks to facilitate your current clinical practice and support your future development.

This module will expose you to the core foundations and principles within public health practice, drawing from a range of disciplines, including social, behavioural, and physical sciences. Throughout this module, you will build a foundational understanding of the public health area. The module introduces the core theories linked to health and fitness, which cover health promotion, determinants of health, and contemporary challenges that exist in the field. One key area is the role of social justice in public health and how this may impact individuals from different communities, cultures, and socioeconomic backgrounds. Ultimately, this module will allow you to gain knowledge of public health systems at various levels, including local, national, and international bodies, which will then inform your work across other modules allowing you to be better equipped moving forward.

Within this module, you will delve deeply into the intricate dimensions of homelessness, ranging from its diverse categories to the demographics most impacted. You will explore the profound toll of homelessness on health and well-being, addressing chronic illness, malnutrition, and food insecurity. Throughout the module, you will develop advanced skills to address practical challenges within the homeless community, including immunisation, sexual health, and personal hygiene. You will enhance your understanding of trauma-informed practice by analysing government policies and societal perceptions that shape the homelessness landscape, with a focus on confronting stigma and fostering empathy. Engaging deeply with the mental health challenges and feelings of hopelessness often associated with homelessness, you will navigate the complex interplay between homelessness and the criminal justice system, rehabilitation services, and modern-day exploitation. By embracing principles of social justice and anti-oppressive practice, you will empower advocacy for marginalised populations, advancing your ability to manage care for homeless individuals. Join us as we embark on a journey of understanding and action, striving to create a more inclusive and compassionate society.

In this module you will learn about addiction, the dimensions of addiction, ranging from different types of gambling to physical and behavioural categories of addiction, including compulsive, impulsive, and anxious addicts. You will critically examine widely recognised models and theoretical concepts of addiction, shedding light on substance misuse government policies, epidemiological considerations, and national treatment guidance. With a focus on practical implications, you will explore substance misuse prevention and treatment strategies, withdrawal management, and follow-up community care. We also consider the intersection between substance misuse and the criminal justice system including criminal exploitation issues such as county lines and child exploitation. Throughout this module, students will gain insights into the role of Community Specialist Practitioners in advocating for individuals with substance misuse issues, conducting therapeutic assessments, trauma informed care, and implementing psychosocial interventions. Join us as we navigate through the complexities of addiction, recovery, and holistic care provision in the context of contemporary societal challenges across a lifespan.

This module will consider the complex case management requirements of Community Specialist Practitioners working with individuals who present with a diverse range of long-term health conditions, including frailty. Using case studies, there will be an analysis of the range of factors that impact on leadership and management decision making including political, financial, spiritual, religious, physiological, psychological and social factors. Assessments for frailty and inter-agency working will be explored, as well as hospital admission avoidance and end-of-life care planning. Information from clinical experts, service-users, the evidence-base and reflections on clinical practice experiences will support critical discussion.

Mental Health: As a Community Specialist Practitioner, an important part of your role will be to support those with complex mental health needs within the community setting. To do this, you are required to use leadership, critical thinking and communication skills to flexibly adapt your clinical practice to changing presentations, situations, case load management and care-coordination. This includes ensuring practice is consistent with human rights and mental health legislation. Working alongside users of service and carers / families you will provide psychosocial interventions and psychoeducation to staff, service users and carers. This module will provide you the theory required to maintain mental health and promote wellbeing through the recognition of population and public health working across the health and social care system to reduce restrictive practices, promote choice and provide an alternative to inpatient care. Learning Disability: As a Community Specialist Practitioner in Health and Social Care, you will be working with people who have a learning disability and part of your role is to improve their wellbeing and social inclusion. You will also offer help and support to their family and carers by reducing barriers to independence and supporting the person to live a fulfilling life enabling them to improve and/or maintain their physical and mental health. You may also help people to learn skills needed to find work. This can be significant in helping them to lead a more independent and healthy life where they can relate to others on equal terms. To prepare you for your role, this module will recognise nurses working at an advanced level of practice ensuring that you can ‘close the loop’ on referrals made on behalf of the person you are representing and enable you to contribute to policies and practice relating to learning disability.

This introductory module is for individuals in relevant professional areas who may be new to teaching and/or supporting learning, or who have a limited teaching portfolio. By studying the principles of teaching, learning and assessment relevant to your professional role, you will be prepared to demonstrate specific aspects of effective teaching, learning support methods and student learning. Through peer support and feedback, observation and feedback, action planning, reflection, and group work, you will be able to evaluate your practice as a teacher and identify professional development requirements to apply to teaching and learning in your area of specialist practice. On successful completion of this module, you will be able to apply for Associate Fellow with Advance HE.