Business Analysis and Planning Assessment for Senior Managers in Healthcare Sector

As part of the formal assessment for the programme you are required to submit a Business Analysis and Planning assessment. Please refer to your Student Handbook for full details of the programme assessment scheme and general information on preparing and submitting assignments.

Learning Outcomes:

After completing the module, you should be able to:

1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of effective techniques of information preparation and presentation within a specific context.
2. Identify and implement a data collection strategy using a range of primary and secondary sources
3. Apply a complex range of techniques to analyse data
4. Utilise software as an aid to decision making and control Graduate attributes:

Knowledge and understanding of chosen field. Possess a range of skills to operate within this sector, have a keen awareness of current developments in working practice being well positioned to respond to change.

The ‘integrated working framework’ has been widely promoted within the healthcare sector for over two decades now. The background to the requirement for providers in the sector to collaborate has many benefits, including the need to save resources and also improve outcomes for service users.

As a senior manager working in the sector, think about a service user-group within your organization where you work and consider the need to write a business plan, which will be presented to the senior management board of the organisation or Local Authority.

In the business plan, you are to provide and discuss a 5-year budget of a forward spending of £2Million pounds over the 5-year period. The idea of understanding the need for a budget is to be able to achieve some savings around staff and services.

Guidance: For your report, you may wish to consider covering the following:

1. You can make assumptions of the demand for services, for example, planning to deliver services in a care home of 50 vulnerable residents that are placed in services, receiving a weekly rental income of £1,200/week from ‘Social Services’.
2. What are the policy landmarks/examples of initiatives that promote ‘integrated working’?
3. The types and purpose of data is required for this business plan?
4. Why is it necessary to work with partners and stakeholders?
5. The advantage of ‘user engagement’ and how data can be used to evidence this. For example, think about how an organisation will seek the ‘users/customer satisfaction’?

An exceptional knowledge base exploring and analysing the discipline, its theory and any associated ethical considerations. The work demonstratesextraordinary independence of thought and originality. There is exceptional management of learning resources and a high degree of autonomy is demonstrated which goes above and beyond the brief. The work demonstrates intellectual originality and creativity. Writing is exceptionally well structured and accurately referenced throughout. Where appropriate, outstanding professional skills are demonstrated. The work is original and with some additional effort could be considered for internal publication.

An excellent information base within which the discipline is explored and analysed. There is considerable originality in the approach and the work demonstrates confidence and autonomy and extends to consider ethical issues. Learning resources have been managed with exceptional confidence and the work exceeds the assessment brief. Writing is exceptionally well structured and accurately referenced throughout. Where appropriate, an excellent level of professional skills are demonstrated and the work demonstrates a high level of intellectual and academic skills.

A very good knowledge base which explores and analyses the discipline, its theory and any associated ethical issues. There is evidence of some originality and independence of thought. A very good range of learning resources underpin the work and there is clear evidence of self-directed research. The work demonstrates the ability to analyse the subject and apply theory with good academic and intellectual skills. Academic writing skills are good, expression is accurate overall and the work is consistently referenced throughout.

A satisfactory understanding of the discipline which supports some analysis, evaluation and problem-solving within the discipline. There may be reference to some of the ethical considerations. The work shows a sound level of competence in managing basic sources and materials. Academic writing skills are good and accurate overall and the work is planned and structured with some thought. Professional skills are satisfactory (where appropriate). The work may lack originality but academic and intellectual skills are moving into the critical domain. The work is referenced throughout.

Basic level of performance in which there are some omissions in the understanding of the subject, its underpinning theory and ethical considerations. There is little evidence of independent thought and the work shows a basic use of sources and materials. Academic and intellectual skills are limited. The work may lack structure overall. There are some difficulties in developing professional skills (where appropriate). There is an attempt to reference the work.