HND Assignment Brief
Session: September 2021 and February 2022
| Programme title | Pearson BTEC Higher National Diploma in HealthCare Practice | |
| Unit number & title | Unit 18 | Innovation and Improvement through Action Research (Semester 3) |
| Unit Level and Credit Value |
Level 5 | Credit Value 30 |
| Assessor (s) | Dr Oluwatosin Alo | |
| Issue Date | 04 October 2021 | |
| Final assignment submission deadline |
10-15 January 2022 | |
| Late submission deadline | 17-22 January 2022 The learners are required to follow the strict deadline set by the College for submissions of assignments in accordance with the BTEC level 4–7 submission guidelines and College policy on submissions. |
|
| Resubmission deadline | TBA | |
| Feedback | Formative feedback will be available on ICON VLE during the semester. Final feedback will be available within 2 weeks of the assignment submission date. |
| General Guidelines |
The work you submit must be in your own words. If you use a quote or an illustration from somewhere you must give the source. Include a list of references at the end of your document. You must give all your sources of information. Make sure your work is clearly presented and that you use correct grammar. Wherever possible use a word processor and its “spell-checker”. |
| Internal verifier | Mrs Gloria Iyakwo | ||
| Signature (IV of the brief) * |
Gloria Iyakwo | Date | 15/09/2021 |
AssignmentTutorOnline
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HealthCare Practice Unit 18 Page 2 of 15
ICON College of Technology and Management
BTEC HND in Healthcare Practice (Integrated Health and Social Care)
Unit 18: Innovation and Improvement through Action Research (L5)
Session: September 2021 and February 2022
Coursework
Recommended Word limit: 6000 (Report), 2000 (Presentation)
Summative assessment will be based on the assignment report and the class presentation
Avoid unprofessional language when writing the assignment (e.g., old people)
You are strongly advised to read the brief before writing the assignment.
Discuss with your lecturer to know the evidence for this assignment that can also contribute to your
PLAD portfolio
Scenario
Michael Marmot independent review into health inequalities in England, titled ‘Fair society, healthy
lives’, was published in February 2010. The key finding is that health outcomes are directly linked to
socio-cultural and economic opportunities.
https://www.parliament.uk/globalassets/documents/fair-society-healthy-lives-full-report.pdf
Various publications on social determinants of health from the World Health Organisation also
indicates that health outcomes are directly shaped by the socio-cultural, political and economic
conditions in which people are born, grow, work, live, and age.
10 years after the Marmort review, current evidence shows that the unfair and avoidable differences
in health outcomes within and between countries still follow a social gradient, with the poor and
disadvantaged experiencing the worse health outcomes. See ‘Marmot Review 10 Years On’
https://www.instituteofhealthequity.org/resources-reports/marmot-review-10-years-on
How some groups were disproportionately impacted at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, is
a strong reminder of the health inequalities environment. Most affected were people living in highly
deprived areas, Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities (BAME), older people, those with
disabilities and the homeless.
As a research intern with a charity organisation, you have recently read the ‘Marmot Review 10
Years On’. Since the answers to health inequalities point to some policy objectives (see below), you
have been asked to conduct a research to gather further evidence for the campaign and advocacy
team.
Give every child the best start in life
Enable all children, young people and adults to maximise their capabilities and have control
over their lives
Create fair employment and good work for all
Ensure a healthy standard of living for all
Create and develop healthy and sustainable places and communities
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HealthCare Practice Unit 18 Page 3 of 15
The theme for use with Unit 18:(1st September 2021 to 31st August 2022)
Valuing and Promoting Diversity, Difference and Inclusion
The healthcare practitioner is a key contributor to the service user experience and is instrumental in
driving the changes needed to enable a more effective and efficient healthcare service. The
effective practitioner should provide a values-based, high-quality service and environment for
colleagues and users of services that is inclusive, welcoming and puts the individual needs of the
service user at its centre. As the world population becomes increasingly mobile and global, we are
also developing in our awareness and understanding of the importance of valuing the richness of
the diversity of people and communities, and the benefits this brings to our societies and services.
This embracing of diversity, and ensuring people feel included and that they are being treated
equitably, is arguably more important for health and social care practitioners then many other
professionals.
The experience of marginalisation and exclusion directly affects individual’s health, wellbeing and
performance. Further, there is evidence that individuals with disabilities, from some marginalised
ethnic and cultural communities, from LGBTQ+ communities and those whose gender identity does
not match the identity they were assigned with at birth, and individuals with a low socioeconomic or
educational status, experience stigma, inequitable experiences in employment, poorer treatments
in services, and consequent health outcomes than individuals without these characteristics. As
such, it is vital that practitioners not only learn more about the different needs and experiences of
the different people we engage with, but that the services we provide, personal and institutional, are
responsive and inclusive of different individual’s needs. Healthcare practitioners should not only
have up-to-date knowledge of key developments and approaches to practice across the health and
social care sector, but should also possess the appropriate values, attitudes and behaviours to
deliver high quality professional care that meets the needs of service users, and the systems
within which they work. A self-aware practitioner that develops their emotional intelligence, works
well with others, and uses up-to-date research to inform their professional practice alongside a
focus on the best interests of the individual, can make all the difference between poor and positive
outcomes for individuals in receipt of care.
This unit will enable students to develop an enquiry-based approach to their practice and embed
principles of action research in investigating contemporary issues regarding the physical and mental
health and emotional wellbeing of individuals accessing health and social care services. The unit will
support students’ in developing their professionalism through research, build their confidence in
practice, creative and problem-solving skills as well as valuing action research as a developmental
tool to effect innovation and improvement, for themselves and the wider context within which they
work.
The range of topics discussed could cover the following:
Inclusive approaches to improving the experience of staff from diverse groups in health and
social care services
The value of staff in leadership positions embracing diversity, equity and inclusion to provide
high quality services
Approaches to person-centred care that embraces diverse, equitable and inclusive
strategies
Addressing discrimination and disadvantage in health and social care provision and their
impact on health outcomes for marginalised groups
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HealthCare Practice Unit 18 Page 4 of 15
Students are to submit as evidence for the unit in addition to their project findings, the research
proposal and ethics form. The research proposal sets out the plan for how the students will
achieve the intended research objective(s) and shows whether the objective(s) will be feasible,
ethical and achievable in the time scale. It sets out how secondary research supports the research
objective(s), how the research will be conducted, how the research will be evaluated. Students will
need to gain ethical approval before commencing their research, this will be discussed with the tutor
during the research proposal.
Part 1
Consider the development of a methodical, ethical, reliable and valid research proposal as the
foundation for the project. The proposal should be agreed with your tutor prior to undertaking any
research. Proposal and ethical forms should also be agreed and completed. An ethics form must be
submitted prior to completion of research as part of the research proposal.
The project topic should reflect personal interest in a specialism and should allow for a sufficient
degree of research through the existence of adequate background materials. The framework of your
proposal should address a specific research problem or question. This can be stated as a research
question, objectives or hypothesis. As guidance, a good project proposal and project title should
have an existing body of literature or source material that can be reviewed. In addition, it should
extend the current line of learning, lending itself to further rigorous exploration. You should decide
on appropriate research methods and select an appropriate sample. Finally, provide a literature
review that identifies the background and conceptualisation of your proposed area of study. This
would provide existing knowledge and benchmarks by which your data can be judged.
What you must do: Produce a report
You will discuss the role of research in defining research questions for a piece of action research in
health and social care. It is also required that you review own skills in conducting a piece of action
research into health and wellbeing improvement. In addition, illustrate in detail appropriate research
methods for investigating research questions/hypothesis and discuss ethical considerations when
researching human participants. Proper evaluation of own skills in defining research questions for a
piece of action research in health and wellbeing improvement will achieve a higher grade. You
should also do an analysis of the methodological approach taken to answer research questions and
a critical evaluation of how effectively the research methodologies selected supports the proposed
action research study in health and wellbeing improvement.
Part 2
You should conduct your research as outlined in your proposal and keep track of your findings as
you progress. The research methodology and research process, should be considered and clearly
defined, demonstrating an understanding of the pitfalls and limitations of the methods chosen and
ethical issues that could be encountered. Conduct your research, analyse your findings and draw
conclusions. Research methods should be applied to evaluate the data collected from primary
research sources. Your research and analysis of your findings should be specific to your original
research question, from which conclusions can be drawn. Reflect on the success of your research
project and your performance at the end of the project with the inclusion of a project evaluation and
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HealthCare Practice Unit 18 Page 5 of 15
recommendations. In addition, based on the results of your study, what alternative research
methodologies would you use in future to improve the results?
What you must do: Produce a report and do an individual presentation
The report will demonstrate how you implement the action research on health and wellbeing
improvement, and interpret data using appropriate data analysis techniques. For higher grades,
analyse/critically analyse research findings using appropriate data analysis techniques.
To further demonstrate own understanding of the criteria, you will do an individual presentation. As
a researcher, being able to transfer new ideas and knowledge is important. You will prepare a
discussion and present the research study and findings to an audience. Your discussion should
present findings and relate these back to the literature you have found to assess whether it is
similar, extends or offers alternative findings. Discussion will focus on the potential impact of
findings and own learning in research journey, identifying strategies for future developmental needs
in conducting ethical research into health and wellbeing improvement
Using the information in your presentation, the report will evaluate how findings relate to research
questions in supporting improvement in health and wellbeing and own professional development.
Also, you will critically evaluate research study in terms of influencing change and its value in
improving quality of health and social care service provision nationally and globally.
Note: You should attach all the documents including copies of your chosen data collection
tools (questionnaires, interview schedules or journal/logbook) as a separate file in the
appendix section of your assignment.
Presentation Guidelines:
1. Students will have 10 minutes to present their work to the audience and each will be given
the date to present. Presentations will take place in week 11 and week 12 during class time.
It is important that all students keep to the time limit. Students will present their work as a
PPT.
2. Alternatively, the presentation can be pre-recorded and displayed to the audience in
classroom
3. Students should reference their work where appropriate, using a range of sources.
4. Students must attach their presentation as a (6 SLIDES PER PAGE) document to their final
assignment before submitting on the VLE
Project Plan
| Student Details | Date |
| Student Name | Student Number |
| Centre Name Tutor Proposed Title |
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| Section One: Title, aims, objectives | ||
| Title or working title of project (in the form of a question, objective or hypothesis) Project aims and objectives (e.g. what do you wish to achieve? What do you want to learn to do? What do you want to find out?) |
||
| Section Two: Reasons for choosing this project | ||
| Reasons for choosing the project (e.g. links to other subjects you are studying, personal interest, future plans, knowledge/skills you want to improve, why you feel the topic is important) |
||
| Section Three: Precedents and sources | ||
| Use of key literature sources and precedents to support your project objectives | ||
| Section Four: Activities and timescales | ||
| Activities to be carried out during the project | How long will this take: | |
| Milestone one: | ||
| Target date (set by tutor): | ||
| Milestone two: | ||
| Target date (set by tutor): | ||
| Comments and agreement from tutor | ||
| Comments: | ||
| I confirm that the project is not work that has been or will be submitted for another qualification and is appropriate: |
||
| Agreed: | (name) | (date) |
| Comments and agreement from project proposal reviewer (if applicable) |
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HealthCare Practice Unit 18 Page 7 of 15
| Comments: | ||
| I confirm that the project is not work that has been or will be submitted for another qualification and is appropriate: |
||
| Agreed: | (name) | (date) |
Research ethics approval form
All students conducting research activity that involves human participants or the use of data,
collected from human participants, may be required to gain ethical approval before commencing
their research. Please answer all relevant questions and note that your form may be returned if
incomplete.
For further support and guidance please see your Unit Tutor.
Before completing this form, we advise that you discuss your proposed research fully with
your Unit Tutor. Please complete this form in good time before your research project is due
to commence.
| Section One: Basic details |
| Project title: |
| Student Details Student Name Student ID |
| Programme: |
| School: |
| Start date: |
| End date: |
| Section Two: Project summary |
Please select all research methods that you plan to use as part of your project:
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| Interviews |
| Questionnaires |
| Observations |
| Use of Personal Records |
| Focus Groups |
| Other (please specify) |
| Section Three: Participants |
| Will your research involve human participants? | Yes | No |
Who are the participants? Tick all that apply
| Ages 12–16: | Young people aged 17–18: | Adults: |
| Vulnerable Adults: |
How will participants be recruited (identified and approached)?
Describe the process you will use to inform participants about what you are doing:
How will you obtain consent from participants? Will this be written? How will it be made
clear to participants that they may withdraw consent to participate at any time?
Studies involving questionnaires: Will participants be given the option of omitting
questions they do not wish to answer?
| Yes: | No: |
If No, please explain why below and ensure that you cover any ethical issues arising from this:
Studies involving observation: Confirm whether participants will be asked for their
informed consent to be approved.
| Yes: | No: |
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HealthCare Practice Unit 18 Page 9 of 15
Will you debrief participants at the end of their participation? (e.g. give them a brief
explanation of the study)
| Yes: | No: |
Will participants be given information about the findings of your study? (This
could be a summary of your findings generally)
| Yes: | No: |
| Section Four: Data storage and security | |
| Confirm that all personal data will be stored and processed in compliance with the Data Protection Act (1998) Yes: No: |
|
| Who will have access to the data and personal information? | |
| During the research | |
| Where will the data be stored? | |
| Will mobile devices, such as USB storage and laptops, be used? Yes: No: If yes, please provide further details: |
|
| After the research | |
| Where will the data be stored? | |
| How long will the data and records be kept, and in what format? | |
| Will the data be kept for use by other researchers? Yes: No: If yes, please provide further details: |
|
| Section Five: Ethical issues |
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HealthCare Practice Unit 18 Page 10 of 15
| Are there any particular features of your proposed work which may raise ethical concerns? If so, please outline how you will deal with these: It is important that you demonstrate your awareness of potential risks that may arise as a result of your research. Please consider/address all issues that may apply. Ethical concerns may include, but are not limited to the following: informed consent potentially vulnerable participants sensitive topics risks to participants and/or researchers confidentiality/anonymity disclosures/limits to confidentiality data storage and security, both during and after the research (including transfer, sharing, encryption, protection) reporting dissemination and use of your findings. |
| Section Six: Declaration |
| I have read, understood and will abide by the [insert name of college/centre] Research Ethics Policy: Yes: No: |
| I have discussed the ethical issues relating to my research with mytutor: Yes: No: |
| I confirm that, to the best of my knowledge, the above information is correct and that this is a full description of the ethical issues that may arise in the course of my/our research. |
| Student Name(s) _______________________________________________________ Date ________________________ |
| Please submit your completed form to: – _____________________________________________________________ |
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HealthCare Practice Unit 18 Page 11 of 15
Relevant Information
To gain a Pass in BTEC HND Unit, you must meet ALL the Pass criteria; to gain a Merit, you must
meet ALL the Merit and Pass criteria; and to gain a Distinction, you must meet ALL the Distinction,
Merit and Pass criteria.
| Learning Outcomes and Assessment Criteria | ||
| Pass | Merit | Distinction |
| LO1 Review the role of research in health and wellbeing improvement strategies |
D1 Critically evaluate how effectively research methodologies selected support proposed action research study in health and wellbeing improvement |
|
| P1 Discuss the role of research in defining research questions for a piece of action research in health and social care P2 Review own skills in conducting a piece of action research into health and wellbeing improvement |
M1 Evaluate own skills in defining research questions for a piece of action research in health and wellbeing improvement |
|
| LO2 Develop a methodological framework for action research in health and wellbeing improvement |
D1 Critically evaluate how effectively research methodologies selected support proposed action research study in health and wellbeing improvement |
|
| P3 Illustrate in detail appropriate research methods for investigating research questions/hypothesis P4 Discuss ethical considerations when researching human participants |
M2 Analyse the methodological approach taken to answer research questions |
|
| LO3 Carry out action research towards improvements in health and wellbeing |
D2 Critically analyse research findings using appropriate data analysis techniques |
|
| P5 Implement a piece of action research in health and wellbeing improvement P6 Interpret data using appropriate data analysis techniques |
M3 Analyse research data from action research using appropriate data analysis techniques |
|
| LO4 Examine the impact of research findings with regard to service improvement and own professional development |
D3 Critically evaluate research study in terms of influencing change and its value in improving quality of health and social care service provision nationally and globally |
|
| P7 Discuss the potential impact of findings from action research study on health and wellbeing improvement P8 Discuss own learning in research journey identifying strategies for future developmental needs in conducting ethical research into health and wellbeing improvement |
M4 Evaluate how findings relate to research questions in supporting improvement in health and wellbeing and own professional development |
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Guide to student
1. Preparation guidelines of the Coursework Document
a. All coursework must be word processed.
b. Any assignments submitted with TEXT BOXES will not be accepted
c. Document margins must not be more than 2.54 cm (1 inch) or less than 1.9cm (3/4 inch).
d. Font size must be within the range of 10 point to 14 points including the headings and body
text (preferred font size is 11).
e. Standard and commonly used type face, such as Arial and Times New Roman, should be
used.
f. All figures, graphs and tables must be numbered.
g. Material taken from external sources must be properly referred and cited within the text
using Harvard system
h. Do not use Wikipedia as a reference.
2. Plagiarism and Collusion
Any act of plagiarism or collusion will be seriously dealt with according to the College regulations.
In this context the definitions and scope of plagiarism and collusion are presented below:
Plagiarism is presenting somebody else’s work as your own. It includes copying information
directly from the Web or books without referencing the material; submitting joint coursework as
an individual effort.
Collusion is copying another student’s coursework; stealing coursework from another student and
submitting it as your own work.
Suspected plagiarism or collusion will be investigated and if found to have occurred will be dealt
with according to the College procedure (For details on Plagiarism & Collusion please see the
Student Handbook).
3. Submission
a. Initial submission of coursework to the tutors is compulsory in each unit of the course.
b. The student must check their assignments on ICON VLE with plagiarism software Turnitin to
make sure the similarity index for their assignment stays within the College approved level. A
student can check the similarity index of their assignment up to five times in the Draft
Assignment submission point located in the home page of the ICON VLE.
c. All Final coursework must be submitted to the Final submission point into the Unit (not to
the Tutor). The student would be allowed to submit only once and that is the final
submission.
d. Any computer files generated such as program code (software), graphic files that form part of
the coursework must be submitted as an attachment to the assignment with all documentation.
e. Any portfolio for a Unit must be submitted as an attachment in the assignment
4. Good practice
a. Make backup of your work in different media (hard disk, memory stick, etc.) to avoid distress
due to loss or damage of your original copy.
5. Extension and Late Submission
a. If you need an extension for a valid reason, you must request one using an Exceptional
Extenuating Circumstances (EEC) form available from the Examination Office and ICON
VLE. Please note that the tutors do not have the authority to extend the coursework
deadlines and therefore do not ask them to award a coursework extension. The completed
form must be accompanied by evidence such as a medical certificate in the event of you
being sick, and should be submitted to the Examination Office.
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HealthCare Practice Unit 18 Page 13 of 15
b. Late submission will be accepted and marked according to the College procedure. It should
be noted that late submission may not be graded for Merit and Distinction.
c. All late coursework must be submitted to the Late submission point into the unit (not to
the Tutor) in the ICON VLE. A student is allowed to submit only once and that is also
treated as the final submission.
d. If you fail in the Final or Late submission, you can resubmit in the Resubmission
window.
6. Submission deadlines
Submission deadlines: Online to the ICON VLE only
Final Submission date: 10-15 January 2022
Late Submission date: 17-22 January 2022
Glossary:
Analyse: Break an issue or topic into smaller parts by looking in depth at each part. Support each
part with arguments and evidence for and against (Pros and cons).
Compare: Identify similarities and differences
Critically Evaluate/Analyse: When you critically evaluate you look at the arguments for and
against an issue. You look at the strengths and weaknesses of the arguments. This
could be from an article you read in a journal or from a text book.
Discuss: When you discuss you look at both sides of a discussion. You look at both sides of the
arguments. Then you look at the reason why it’s important (for) then you look at the
reason why it’s important (against).
Describe: When you give an account or representation of in words
Explain: When you explain you must say why it is important or not important.
Evaluate: When you evaluate you look at the arguments for and against an issue and then make
judgments based on a set of guidelines.
Identify: When you identify you look at the most important points.
Implement: Put into action/use/effect
Recommend: Suggest/put forward as being appropriate, with reasons
HND Assignment Brief
Session: September 2021 and February 2022
Observation Record Sheet
Presentation Skills Assessment
Student name: Student ID: Date:
| LO4 Examine the impact of research findings with regard to service improvement and own professional development o Discuss the potential impact of findings from action research study on health and wellbeing improvement o Discuss own learning in research journey identifying strategies for future developmental needs in conducting ethical research into health and wellbeing improvement |
Knowledge of the criterion demonstrated High(H), Average (A), Low (L) |
Assessors Comments |
| Course: | Pearson BTEC Higher National Diploma in HealthCare Practice |
| HNC/HND | |
| Unit Code/Title | Unit 18: Innovation and Improvement through Action Research |
| Unit Credits/ level | Credits 30 RQF LEVEL: 5 |
| Tutors: | Dr Oluwatosin Alo |
| Internal Verifier | Mrs Gloria Iyakwo |
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HealthCare Practice Unit 18 Page 15 of 15
Remarks
________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Tutor Signature: Date: ________________
Internal Verifier Signature: Gloria Iyakwo Date: 15/09/2021
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