Assignment number and title One – Individual report
Assignment type WR-I
Weighting of assignment 100%
Size or length of assessment 2000 words

You are allowed 10% over or under the word count.
Note that reference lists, appendices, contents page and title page do not count in the word limit.

Unit learning outcomes            On completion of this unit, you should be able to:

1. 1. 1. 1. 1. 1. Demonstrate the knowledge and understanding of differing social groups’ experiences of health and/or healthcare in the United Kingdom
               2. Demonstrate the skills and abilities associated with critical analysis and synthesis of relevant literature and policy, and identification of gaps in current policy

What am I required to do in this assignment?

There is only one assessment on this unit and it is a 2,000 word individual report. You will write a report discussing health inequities in the UK in relation to gender, age or ethnicity. You are required to choose one of the health issues listed below. You will need to explore the nature of health inequities in relation to gender, age or ethnicity, discuss policy addressing the inequities and make suggestions for improvement.

You must choose one of the following topics for your assignment:

1. Ethnic minority women and maternity care
2. African-Caribbean men and schizophrenia
3. Mental health service provision for older people
4. Older people's use of GP services and/or specialist care
5. Gypsies and Travellers' access to health care
6. Asylum seekers' access to health care
7. LGBT+ groups' access to health care

Access to health care could be interpreted as health care in general OR access to a specific treatment or specific service.

• You are required to:
  – Choose one of the seven topics

  – Discuss how the chosen topic is related to gender, age or ethnicity-based inequities in health (link your discussion to only ONE type of health inequity)

  – Explore the nature and the extent of health inequities in relation to the chosen health issue. The discussion must focus on health inequities related to gender, age or ethnicity (you should focus on only ONE of the three variables).

  – Discuss policy (regulations, guidance, service plan, strategy, etc.) addressing the specific type of inequities and identify gaps in policy (please note that Acts of Parliament is legislation, not policy, so should not be used in this assignment). (it is suggested that you explore developments in policy aimed at tackling the health inequities you discussed)

  – Make suggestions for improvement that can fill the gaps in policy

• You must discuss to what extent your social group is unequally treated within the health care system regarding the diagnosis or treatment of certain health issues OR access to health care in general. Health inequities in this assignment do not simply mean differences in prevalence regarding certain illnesses. You must focus on how the health needs of the social group you chose are inadequately met within the health care system in the UK, due to their gender, ethnicity or age (you must focus on discussing only one variable out of these three). There must be detailed statistics and examples discussed in your discussion of the nature and extent of health inequities.
• You must use a minimum of 10 peer-reviewed journal articles (ONLY journal articles count) for this assignment. You are encouraged to carry out wider reading. On top of the 10 journal articles, you can also include books and other credible sources (e.g. reports from international organisations) but they will NOT be counted as part of your 10 academic sources.
• Ensure that all your sections are linked – e.g. if you chose a topic that is related to gender-based health inequity, you are expected to explore that topic from the gender-based health inequity perspective only. No other variables, such as age and ethnicity, are expected to be included in your work.
• You must use the Harvard referencing system. The University officially advises students to use the following website for referencing guidelines: https://www.citethemrightonline.com/.
• Ensure that you include your in-text references. In all cases, in-text references must match up with what appears in your reference list. Every in-text citation/reference should correspond to a reference on the list at the end (and vice versa). Please remember you only ever list primary sources in your reference list (these are sources you actually read not sources cited in something you read). Please look up secondary referencing on the Cite Them Right Harvard referencing guidelines – https://www.citethemrightonline.com/article?docid=b-9781350928060&tocid=b-9781350928060-How-do-I-reference-a-source-quoted-in-another-authors-work-Secondary-referencing. You will need to use your University login details to access Cite Them Right pages.
• No more than 5% of your work should be in the form of quotes.
• You must write in your own words. You are reminded that plagiarism of any type will be penalised and result in a fail.
• Proofread and edit your work before handing it in.
• You must structure your report in the following format:
• Page 1 is your Title page (you must provide your own title)
• Page 2 is your Abstract or Executive Summary (on a separate page)
• Page 3 is your Table of contents (which includes page numbers for the different sections/subsections and should be on a new page)
• Page 4 is your Introduction
• Discussion of findings (should consist of different headed sections/subsections; subheading titles should also appear in your table of contents)
• Conclusion and recommendations
• References

What do I need to do to pass? (Threshold Expectations from UIF)
In order to pass the assessment, you will need to:

• Choose a health issue that is closely related to gender, age or ethnicity-based inequities in health.
• Critically discuss the nature and the extent of health inequities in relation to gender, age or ethnicity.
• Demonstrate knowledge of relevant policy and make suggestions to address gaps in current policy.

How do I produce high quality work that merits a good grade?
Please read the assessment brief carefully and complete this section yourself

How does this assignment relate to what we are doing in scheduled sessions?
This assignment will link to key concepts and ideas taught in the lectures/seminars. In lectures/seminars you will be learning about how differing social groups experience health and health care in the UK and differing factors that may impact on this including the historical social construction of differing groups and inequalities faced. You will demonstrate graduate-level skills and knowledge.