Professional Leadership

The delivery of successful health and social care services relies on effective leadership. This course takes the perspective that leadership is to be found in the many rather than the few. We are all leaders.

The course will help you recognise and develop your inherent leadership qualities, and have regard for the leadership qualities of others, be they working colleagues or those in formal positions of leadership responsibility.

Rather than emphasise leadership generally, looking at histories and typologies of leadership theory, this course takes a practical and straightforward approach to developing your leadership skills.

Who is it for?

The course is a core component of advanced clinical practice and is suitable for anyone working in health and social care with responsibilities for leadership and people management. The course will benefit registered nurses and allied health professionals taking on leadership roles in their practice.

Timetable

The course runs each period of study.

Term 1

Sep: 30 Sep 2025

Oct: Tuesday 7, 14, 21 and 28 October 2025

Nov: Tuesday 11 and 18 November 2025

Term 2

Feb: Tuesday 3, 10, 17 and 24 February 2026
Mar: Tuesday 3, 10, 17 and 24 March 2026

Term 3

May: Tuesday 5, 12, 19 and 26 May 2026
Jun: Tuesday 2, 9, 16 and 23 June 2026

Benefits

The key takeaways from this course are a deeper understanding of concepts of leadership and practical development of leadership skills.

This short course module is designed to be flexible in allowing you to study and reach your goals at your own pace. Our health CPD courses are credit-bearing modules that contribute to a University degree or award.

Transfer course credits towards postgraduate taught degree

As a health care professional, once you've completed this course you could offset 15 credits as part of a postgraduate programme, continuing your study with further modules to make up a Postgraduate Certificate (PGCert) 60 credits, Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) 120 credits or Master of Science (MSc) 180 credits qualification (all credits must be awarded within five years of study commencing).

Content outline

• Introduction to health and social care organisations and their context: key concepts, theories, principles, social structures, processes, behaviours and cultures.
• Leadership versus management within a dynamic professional environment.
• Leadership as the art of persuasion.
• Team dynamics explores the formation, evolving structure, thinking and behaviour of service teams, and how leadership influence arises and is transferred within teams.
• Professional identities and logics explores the development of professional identity, the logics and cultures of different professions and organisations.
• Understanding people, exploring your own affinities, motivations and preferred styles and developing insight into others in order to empower yourself and others.
• Empowering and working through others, selectively addressing theories, models, approaches and styles of leadership associated with empowerment e.g. use of emotional intelligence, interpersonal skills, coaching and mentoring.

By the end of the course you will be able to:

Knowledge and understanding:

• Critically reflect on key aspects of health and social care organisations and their processes, behaviours and cultures.
• Discuss and critique current management and leadership theories.
• Critically appraise group formation, structure, behaviours and group dynamics.
• Critically evaluate the relationships between self-awareness and leadership, and management approaches.
• Demonstrate the principles of effective communication and develop awareness and insights on the communication styles of others in group activities.
• Rationalise how systems leadership, coaching and mentoring can be used to empower ourselves, fellow professionals and service users.

Skills:

• Critically evaluate leadership strategies to promote effective partnership working with service users, carers and their families in the development, delivery and evaluation of services.
• Demonstrate the ability to manage and lead in changing and dynamic contexts across professions and organisations where there is a focus on achieving positive end results.
• Demonstrate core leadership competencies: communication, collaboration, critical analysis, cultural competence and empowerment.

Teaching

This course is delivered through a series of interactive teaching sessions and/or synchronous and asynchronous teaching lectures and tutorials. There is an emphasis on group activities. Case studies and work examples will be discussed throughout the course. Learning will take place via a mix of lectures, seminars, group activities and discussions, allowing for both teacher-mediated and peer-led input, encouraging critical thinking and analysis.

Assessment

Assessment is based on a written assignment of 3,000 words. This will present a critical evaluation of leadership theories and professional practice, intended to develop your skills in critically analysing professional leadership in health and social care. Students will have the opportunity to present an outline of their assignment in their formative assessment and get peer and lecturer's feedback. There will also be opportunities for guided class discussion with question-and-answer sessions.

This course carries 15 Level-7 credits and is a core module for the MSc Advanced Clinical Practitioner. It may be taken as an elective, or standalone CPPD course.

This course is provided by the School of Health & Medical Sciences.

Credits

This course is worth 15 credits toward eligible programmes.

• a current professional registration with a relevant professional/statutory body or equivalent
• at least one year’s relevant clinical experience as a health or social care practitioner
• a satisfactory academic reference and a satisfactory clinical reference
• first degree (minimum 2:2 or above) or higher level 7/MSc qualification.

English requirements

If your first language is not English, one of the following is required:

• A first degree from a UK university
• A first degree from an overseas institution recognised by City, University of London as providing adequate evidence of proficiency in the English language, for example, from institutions from Australia, Canada or the United States of America.
• International English Language Test Service (IELTS) a score of 7.0 is required with no subtest below 7.0
• Pearson Test of English (Academic) score 72 required
• TOEFL 100 overall with 24 in Writing, 20 in Listening, 19 Reading and 20 Speaking
• Other evidence of proficiency in the English language, which satisfies the board of studies concerned, including registration with your professional regulator.

• Adair, J.E. (2009) How to grow leaders: the seven key principles of effective leadership. India: Replica Press Pvt Ltd.
• Barr, J. and Dowding, L. (2012) Leadership in Health Care, 2nd ed. Sage Publications: London.
• Ghaye, T. and Lillyman, S. (2011) Empowerment Through Reflection, Quay Books.
• Goleman, D. (1998) Working with Emotional Intelligence, Bloomsbury: London.
• Gopee, N. and Galloway, J (2013) Leadership and Management in Healthcare, Sage Publications.
• Hartley, J. (2010) Leadership for Health care, Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Marquis, B.L. & Huston, C.J. (2015) Leadership Roles and Management functions in Nursing, Philadelphia : Wolters Kluwer.
• Northouse, P.G. (2016) Leadership Theory and Practice, West Michigan University: Sage.
• Thomas, J. and Pollard, K. and Sellman, D. (2014) Interprofessional Working in Health and Social Care, Palgrave Macmillan.
• Walshe, K. and Smith, J (2011) Health Care Management, Open University Press.
• Yukl, G. (2013), Leadership in Organizations, 8^th Ed. Pearson Education.