096331 Planning for Health and Social Services

Description

Planning is the systematic process of setting goals, developing strategies, and detailing the resources and tasks to achieve the desired outcomes in healthcare delivery. It involves anticipating future healthcare needs, allocating resources, and coordinating activities to ensure efficient, effective, and equitable health services.

This subject explores the principles and methods that guide planning in the health and social care system. In the first half of the subject, students will learn about the overarching goals of planning, examine different approaches to systems-level health planning, and review the evidence necessary for effective planning. In the second half of the subject, the focus shifts from the systems level to the organisational level. Students will learn about the relationship between organisational strategy and planning and learn tools for effective planning, including budgets and business cases. The subject concludes with planning strategies for uncertain future scenarios.