What is the strategic relevance of the ‘NHS Five Year Forward View’ to your project especially as it pertains to integrated working with key partners to deliver your chosen service?

Business Analysis & Planning – Student Guidance Notes for Assessment (September 2020 Block)

NB: This guide offer the student some hints on how to approach the assessment. Your lecturer will be able to offer further guidance and tutorial support as appropriate.

Recommended Assessment Structure & Hints.

Introduction:

ü Students to set a brief context about the subject & learning outcomes for the assessment

ü Identify the specific client group (i.e. Older People, Young People, and Mental Health etc.) LA of choice and reflect on the services relevant to the group. Students should reflect on the case scenario, i.e. you are asked to assume a role of the service manager of your organisation and seeking to highlight the work, your organisation does in the sector as there are funding opportunities of £1M available. So your report is to indicate how successful your organisation is working with the client group and how you work well with partners and other providers in the LA.

ü Task 1:

1. What is the strategic relevance of the ‘NHS Five Year Forward View’ to your project especially as it pertains to integrated working with key partners to deliver your chosen service? 

ü Students should refer to the policy document (provided in the assignment brief as a link) and provide a brief insight into what it is, why it was promulgated and the application of this to the case scenario -.i.e., its simply the Governments propositions for ‘integrated working across services, especially within the healthcare sector’. This is to save resources, promote accountability and achieve real outcomes for service users etc.

1. Present a short summary discussion exploring why a report will be best suited to presenting your annual service review to the local authority

ü Assignment brief provides some useful tips about ‘a business report’

ü The student can develop some sub-headings in this section on some relevant elements of a ‘Business Report’, your tutor can guide on this. Students may consider: Feasibility Report/Study (getting to know your sector/client group, services demand, gaps, providers in the LA, policies around meeting needs of that group, evidence of engaging with service users etc.

(1,500 words) (35 Marks) (LO 1, & GA)

Task 2:

 Critically discuss the key similarities and differences between qualitative, quantitative and secondary data types. How might each of these be beneficial in helping you complete your annual service review report?

 

ü Range of supporting materials are available on ilearn for students.

ü Data types and the relevance to the need to engage with the funding opportunities means that the student must explore ‘questionnaire feedback, i.e. gauging ‘user satisfaction of services; demography of the local area, the critical needs in terms of statistics are also relevant.

ü The report style writing can use sub-headings for each of the key dimensions.

ü May also populate a simple table to show some of the service needs of the client group of choice and these information/data can be obtained on the local websites of the LA of choice and other national ‘open data’ sources such as the ONS etc.

(1,500 words) (35 Marks) (LO 2, 3)

Task 3: 

 Develop and present a 3-year budget to support your service plan. This should show how you will spend the 1 million pounds over the 3 years. You may wish to make assumptions about the income and outgoings including medium and long-term decisions you will wish to make. 

 

The student is provided with an indicative example of how a budget can look like in the assignment brief:

ü The student is to make assumptions where relevant

ü Discussions in this section can include making short and long term discussions about financial activities, spending plans and some project delivery/management themes in short paragraphs.

ü £1M over three year can simply be split into three equal parts per/year

ü The outgoings/expenditure can have assumed ‘cost headings’ such as: Tax, Staffing, Machinery, Training, Vehicles, Mortgage etc.

ü Tutors would need to offer tutorials around use of the excel tool.  Students should be able to print screen and insert the computations into the word document. Higher scores to be awarded for this. Students who may choose to use a simple table should NOT be penalised, but would certainly score minimal points.

(1,000 words) (30 Marks) (LO 4)

Conclusion

A brief conclusion will help in drawing together the learning experience, professional practice outcomes and some reflections on the learning outcomes for the module.

NB: These are simply HINTs and recommended guidance, the students are allowed to be innovative and of course seek further guidance from your lecturer.