Health Organisations and Policy
Course status:
Applications not yet being accepted
Dates:
15/03/2027 - 19/03/2027
Study format:
Short intensive
The organisational, policy and systems aspects of healthcare innovation
The healthcare sector needs to embrace innovation, both to improve outcomes for patients and to contribute to a knowledge economy. But the generation, evaluation, adoption, spread and scale-up of innovations in healthcare organisations is a complex and challenging business. This is partly because few healthcare organisations are optimally designed to support innovation (for example, they can be overly hierarchical and lacking resources, infrastructure or leadership) and also because incentives in the system are misaligned. Technology projects, for example, often cut across multiple organisations, sectors and stakeholders, adding to the complexity and risks involved in implementation.
Policymaking is conventionally studied as a rational, predictable and evidence-based science (in terms of making and implementing plans), but a more critical take on policy making depicts it as a complex art in which narrative, rhetoric, and clashes between interest groups feature prominently. Policymaking operates on a timescale (days, weeks or months) that meshes poorly with the timescale of research and innovation (years and even decades). Policymakers work with finite budgets, but expectations and demand for health care innovations are increasing apace.
This module will introduce key principles, theories and methods for studying health organisations, policymaking and systems. It will include real-world examples and speakers with practical experience of organisational and policy change.
The last date for receipt of complete applications is 5pm Friday 19th February 2027. Regrettably, late applications cannot be accepted.
Course Aims
On completion of this module we expect our students to be able to:
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Give a critical account of the multiple interacting influences at organisational and policy level that may affect the fortunes of a health care innovation
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Using a specific worked example, identify how these different influences play out (or are likely to play out), and propose measures to maximise the success of the project
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Analyse the innovative potential of a health care organisation or policy context, and suggest measures to make this context more supportive of entrepreneurs
Research methods and techniques taught in this module:
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Organisational ethnography and case study
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Interpretive policy analysis
Examples of case studies to be discussed in this module:
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National e-health programmes – do policymakers learn from their own history or from examples elsewhere?
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Accelerated access initiative for new technologies
Apply for this course
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Entry requirements
Admissions Criteria:
To apply for the course you should:
- Be a graduate or have successfully completed a professional training course
- Have professional work experience in the health service or a health-related field
- Be able to combine intensive classroom learning with the application of the principles and practices of translational health sciences within the work place
- Have a good working knowledge of email, internet, word processing and Windows applications (for communications with course members, course team and administration)
- Show evidence of the ability to commit time to study and an employer’s commitment to make time available to study, complete course work and attend course and university events and modules.
- Be able to demonstrate English Language proficiency at the University’s higher level.
Programme details
The first weeks of this module is spent working on introductory activities using a Virtual Learning Environment, a week is then spent in Oxford for face-to-face teaching and group work (this takes place on the dates to be confirmed), there are then a series of extended Post-Oxford activities (delivered through the VLE) over the following 4-6 weeks which are designed to support you in the preparation and delivery of the practical elements of your assignment. You will be required to submit your written assignment electronically (usually on a Tuesday at 14:00 UK Local Time).
Assessment methods
Assessment will be based on performance in a group presentation and submission of a written assignment which should not exceed 4,000 words.
Academic Credit
Applicants may take this course for academic credit. The University of Oxford Department for Continuing Education offers Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS) points for this course. Participants attending at least 80% of the taught course and successfully completing assessed assignments are eligible to earn credit equivalent to 20 CATS points which may be counted towards a postgraduate qualification.
Applicants can choose not to take the course for academic credit and will therefore not be eligible to undertake the academic assignment offered to students taking the course for credit. Applicants cannot receive CATS (Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme) points or equivalence. Credit cannot be attributed retrospectively. CATS accreditation is required if you wish for the course to count towards a further qualification in the future.
A Certificate of Completion is issued at the end of the course.
Applicants registered to attend ‘not for credit’ who subsequently wish to register for academic credit and complete the assignment are required to submit additional information, which must be received one calendar month in advance of the course start date. Please contact us for more details.
Please contact ths@conted.ox.ac.uk if you have any questions.
IT requirements
Please ensure that you have access to a computer that meets the specifications detailed on our technical support page.
Prof Trish Greenhalgh – Programme Director
Trish Greenhalgh is Professor of Primary Care Health Sciences and a practising GP.
Dr Caroline Potter
Dr Caroline Potter is a Senior Researcher in the Interdisciplinary Research in Health Sciences (IRIHS) group at Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, and a deputy research theme lead for the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration for Oxford and Thames Valley.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Short Course in Health Sciences | £3595.00 |
| Students enrolled on MSc in Translational Health Science | £2905.00 |
Funding
Details of funding opportunities, including grants, bursaries, loans, scholarships and benefit information are available on our financial assistance page.
Discounts
If you are an employee of the University of Oxford and have a valid University staff card you may be eligible to receive a 10% discount on the full stand-alone fee. To take advantage of this offer please submit a scan/photocopy of your staff card along with your application. Your card should be valid for a further six months after attending the course.
Recommended reading
- Greenhalgh T. How to Implement Evidence-based Healthcare. Oxford, Wiley 2017.
- Whitty CJ. What makes an academic paper useful for health policy? BMC Medicine 2015; 13(1): 1.
Accommodation is available at the Rewley House Residential Centre, within the Department for Continuing Education, in central Oxford. The comfortable, en-suite, study-bedrooms have been rated as 4-Star Campus accommodation under the Quality In Tourism scheme, and come with tea- and coffee-making facilities, free Wi-Fi access and Freeview TV. Guests can take advantage of the excellent dining facilities and common room bar, where they may relax and network with others on the programme. Accomodation is not included in the course fee.
Module code: O26C054B9Y
This course requires you to complete the application form and to attach a copy of your CV. If you are applying to take this course for academic credit you will also be required to provide a reference. Please note that if you are not applying to take the course for academic credit then you do not need to submit a reference.
Please ensure you read the guidance notes which appear when you click on the symbols as you progress through the application form, as any errors resulting from failure to do so may delay your application.
Part of:
- MSc in Translational Health Sciences, the Social Science of Innovation
and also available as an accredited short course in Health Sciences