This Postgraduate Certificate is part of the suite of courses that will sit under the title of Leadership and Service Improvement in Health Care and is intended for experienced qualified health care professionals who may work in, and across a range of health care settings. Whilst this course is directed purposefully at health care professionals, those working in health care in non-professional roles and Social Care professionals may find this course beneficial and could have a valuable contribution to make within the course.

This course focusses upon leadership, change management, quality improvement and evidence-based service innovation and delivery, all key to the delivery of high quality health care. The centrality of the patient/service user in health and social care is championed; this is the central core around which services should be developed and delivered. Professionals in the caring professions need to be able to develop, provide and continually evaluate and enhance to provide the highest standards of evidence based. Delivery of a proven, high quality service which continually evolves to meet the changing needs of all service users is the aim of practitioners in the caring professions.

Successful leadership of health care improvement combines service specific knowledge from clinical experts, improvement know-how and change management skills. This course supports new and developing and experienced clinical leaders in the development of improvement know-how with the skills and knowledge of change management processes, such as team building, handling relationships, developing and communicating a vision, to engage with multiple stakeholders.

The nature of this course promotes multidisciplinary learning, enhanced through shared learning in some core units with students on the various MSc courses: for example, the MSc Nursing, the MSc in Health Care, and with students taking modules via the CPD route.

On completion of this Postgraduate Certificate, students may elect to top up their award to the Postgraduate Diploma in Leadership and Service Improvement in Health Care (5308) and ultimately the MSc Leadership and Service Improvement in Health Care (5309). You can find these top-up courses and apply on the CPPD prospectus.

Please make contact with the Course Director before applying.

Alternatively, health care professionals may apply for the whole MSc Leadership and Service Improvement in Health Care (3904) course, taken over either three or four years. You can find this course and apply on the CPPD prospectus.

Venue: LSBU Southwark Campus

Entry requirements

• Successful applicants will normally hold at least a second class Honours degree in a health related subject and a health related professional qualification.
• Experience in a leadership role or experience of leading a team is desirable.

Career benefits

Students will develop their confidence and ability to develop and lead improvements in a range of settings. In addition, students will develop their leadership knowledge and skills which can be applied to the delivery of a high quality, evidence-based service linked to service user, staff and organisational outcomes. Students will be able to develop a strategic view to their service and the interrelationships with other services within their organisation. 

Course structure