Acute Care of the Older Person with Frailty

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Key facts

Course code

PGC-ACZ

Start dates

January 2025 / September 2025 / January 2026 / September 2026

Application deadline

1 August (for a September start)

1 December (for a January start) 

Academic level

7

Academic credits

60

This course is not available to students classed as International for fees purposes.

Overview

Our Postgraduate Certificate in Acute Care of the Older Person with Frailty enables UK registered healthcare professionals to achieve professional development and experience in this specialist area.

Older patients with frailty often have complex care needs. By applying evidence based practice, you'll develop your critical understanding and learn to deliver the best outcome of care for the patient and their family. You will develop your knowledge, skills and understanding of care relating to the management of older patients with frailty through:

  • assessment
  • planning
  • delivery
  • evaluation of care.

Relevant, national and international research and evidence based literature informs the course content. Our lecturers are experienced in their specialist practice areas and maintain excellent practice links with those areas locally or across the region.

Nurse caring for elderly patient

How to apply

Entry requirements

  • you should have a UK or overseas degree from a recognised institution, or equivalent professional or other qualification
  • you must hold professional registration with the relevant Nursing or Allied Health Professional Body in the UK
  • you will normally have a minimum of 12 months post-registration experience in a relevant clinical area
  • you should be working in a relevant clinical environment in which you can achieve the clinical skills required
  • you should have access to an appropriate practice supervisor within that area
  • you should have the support of your line manager.

Terms and Conditions of Enrolment

When you accept our offer, you agree to the Terms and Conditions of Enrolment. You should therefore read those conditions before accepting the offer.

Application process

Applications are made online via the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences application portal.

Tuition fees

Please see the fees note
2024 / 25
Home (UK) part time
£1,155 per single module​

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

Tuition fees

2024 / 25
Home (UK) part time
£1,155 per single module​

Questions about fees?

Contact Student Finance on:

+44 (0)1865 534400

financefees@brookes.ac.uk

Fees quoted are for the first year only. If you are studying a course that lasts longer than one year your fees will increase each year.

How and when to pay

Tuition fee instalments for the semester are due by the Monday of week 1 of each semester. Students are not liable for full fees for that semester if they leave before week 4. If the leaving date is after week 4, full fees for the semester are payable.

  • For information on payment methods, please see our Make a Payment page.
  • For information about refunds, please visit our Refund policy page

Financial support and scholarships

For general sources of financial support, see our Fees and funding pages.

Additional costs

Please be aware that some courses will involve some additional costs that are not covered by your fees. Specific additional costs for this course are detailed below.

Learning and assessment

You will study two compulsory modules on this postgraduate certificate.This consists of:

  • CPD7011 Enhanced Patient Assessment and Management (20 credits at Level 7) 
  • CPD7013 Care of the Older Person with Frailty (40 credits at Level 7).

On successful completion of this course, you will be awarded the Postgraduate Certificate in Acute Care of the Older Person with Frailty worth 60 CATS credits at Level 7.

healthcare professional aiding elderly patient to walk

Study modules

Modules

Compulsory modules

  • Enhanced Patient Assessment and Management (20 credits)

    This single level 7 practice module provides the students with the opportunity to develop a critical, problem-solving approach to the complex and holistic assessment and management of a discreet aspect of patient care, developing their knowledge in the relevant pathophysiology applied to stages of the assessment. The module aims to develop the students' assessment skills to an enhanced level enabling them to recognise changes and respond to anomalies in the patient's clinical condition, planning, delivering, monitoring, and evaluating complex care and working effectively with the Multidisciplinary team to optimise health and care delivery.

  • Care of the Older Person with Frailty (40 credits)

    This double practice module will provide students with the opportunity to develop their knowledge, skills and understanding of the complexity of assessment, planning, delivery and evaluation of care relevant to the older person with frailty in a variety of care environments including the home, community settings and hospital.

    Students will gain practical experience of caring for these patients in a variety of settings. The module will provide students with the opportunity to think critically and logically about issues pertinent to the acute care of the older person with frailty.

Please note: As our courses are reviewed regularly as part of our quality assurance framework, the modules you can choose from may vary from those shown here. The structure of the course may also mean some modules are not available to you.

Learning and teaching

You will learn through a variety of teaching and learning strategies. Our teaching, learning and assessment strategy is student centred, patient-centred and practice-focused in its approach.

Each module has an appropriate division between structured learning activities and private study. Opportunities for sharing existing and developing skills, knowledge and experience, are maximised. In order to make the most of the range of experience, skills and knowledge within the group, a variety of teaching and learning strategies will be employed. This is to encourage development of critical self-awareness and personal literacy within the context of both academic and research literacy.

Assessment

Assessment methods used on this course

We will assess you with a variety of methods. Assessments give you an opportunity to demonstrate knowledge as well as the critical and reflective analysis required for professional practice.

CPD7011: Students will undertake a patient assessment in practice, which will be verified in the clinical environment.  A critical evaluation of the assessment including national and local guidelines, evidence, and decision making will be presented and explored further via viva questions.

CPD7013: Critical analytical essay and poster presentation.

Programme changes:
On rare occasions we may need to make changes to our course programmes after they have been published on the website. For more information, please visit our changes to programmes page.

Careers and professional development

Students who have completed similar postgraduate certificate courses at Oxford Brookes have been employed within their speciality both locally and nationally. This course enables you to work through the Agenda for Change grading bands to gain career progression as a practitioner in your field.