Risk assessment and decision making is at the heart of professional practice in health and social care.
The need to balance risk, choice and rights with protection and autonomy and the need, not just to minimise danger but to maximise wellbeing, requires a high level of professionalism and an ability to think critically and analytically.This unit focuses on risk and decision making in practice and is designed to support you in developing your skills in this area.
You will be provided with the opportunity to gain a critical understanding of a range of relevant theories of risk assessment and decision making. The teaching and reflective activities will encourage you to make links between underpinning theory and practice experience. The sessions will provide an opportunity to share ideas and experiences and will support the development of appropriate skills within a structured learning environment.
This course requires 100% attendance.
Normally students may enter Level 6 (degree level) study if they have been awarded:
If you do not meet this criteria you are still able to apply for this unit but we may ask you to complete a study skills handbook to familiarise yourself with academic writing at degree level. The study skills handbook will be sent to you when we have received your application form.
Applicants that already have a degree may wish to consider applying for this unit at Level 7 (Master’s level).
Fees and funding:
You will need to pay or indicate employer support of payment for unit or course fees to the university.
Applicants should contact their employing organisation for further details.
Pre-purchased places
The Faculty of Health & Social Sciences has contractual arrangements with NHS organisations, Local Authorities and the Pan-Dorset & Wiltshire Teaching Partnership for pre-paid places on specified modules. If you work within Dorset, Wiltshire and Somerset or Hampshire and Isle of Wight you may be able to access the pre-paid places. These arrangements allow organisations to nominate the staff they wish to send on each unit or course.
The pre-arranged agreements allow individuals, such as yourself, a route to access appropriate professional development opportunities that are seen as strategically important to your organisation (in consultation with your Line Manager/Education Co-ordinator). All requests for pre-paid places must first be agreed by your organisation prior to completing an application.
All learning outcomes will be assessed by an assignment equivalent to 3000 words.
Having completed this unit the student is expected to:
1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of concepts of risk, risk assessment and risk management in the context of professional practice in health and social care
2. Demonstrate the ability to think critically about the role of theories of decision making in developing professional judgments in contemporary health and social care practice.
3. Demonstrate an ability to evaluate the theoretical frameworks, research, policy, legal and ethical contexts, and how they contribute to their own risk and decision making practice in complex situations.
Course review:
In order to take advantage of new approaches to learning and teaching, as well as developments in practice to benefit our students we regularly review all of our courses. This course is currently going through this process and we will update this page to give you full information about what we will be offering once the review process has concluded. These changes will come into effect for all new students from September 2025. Applicants will be notified by our admissions team of any changes.
£975.00