Head of School: Dr Lana Burroughs

The School of Society, Community and Health is a newly established school that houses a range of Professional Courses. Students who successfully complete their studies with us gain an academic qualification that qualifies them for registration with the regulatory body for their chosen profession. Our primary focus is on the education and training of Social Work and Allied Healthcare Practitioners and those studying courses directly affecting the society around us.

Our undergraduate programmes are studied by students wishing to work within social work or healthcare settings and gain professional registration with the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) or Social Work England (SWE). Our undergraduate courses include Social Work, Paramedics Science, Operating Department Practice, Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy

Our Post Graduate Courses are offered in Public Health and Social Work plus we offer a range of credit bearing units for post qualified social workers and managers.

We work in close partnership with our local Practice Learning Partners, who provide placement experiences for students. Our Practice Learning Partners are sited across Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Berkshire, Cambridgeshire and Oxfordshire. They include Local Authority Children’s Services, Local Authority Adult Services, Education Providers, Hospitals, Care Homes, Mental Health providers, Community providers and agencies/organisations within the private, independent and voluntary sector.

Our underpinning pedagogy is ‘relational’ so we work hard to build strong working relationships and partnerships with our students and look forward to them becoming our professional colleagues on qualifying. Our ethos is one focussed on care ethics and social justice as we strongly advocate for those in society who may be disadvantaged through Health and/or social inequalities. We equip our students with the knowledge and skills to make a positive difference in society.

Research

The Institute for Health Research (IHR) at the University of Bedfordshire is a centre of excellence in research. Currently, staff and research students come from more than 15 countries to create a strong global research community with interests in public health, health inequalities, applied research in the organization and delivery of health and social care, health informatics, epidemiology, chronic and infectious diseases, primary care, biostatistics, mental health and health services research.

One of the major goals of the IHR research programme is to further understand the factors which determine health and health behaviour and those aspects of local contexts, health systems and political economies that influence the successful implementation of proven health interventions and technologies.

The IHR has strong collaborative links in the UK and also in Europe, Middle East, Asia and America. The IHR hosts an MSc in Public Health and also offers extensive postgraduate research training in its approx 50 doctoral students.

• The Institute for Health Research (IHR)