Analyse data to improve health and social services and demonstrate key knowledge of how service performance is measured within existing quality frameworks.

Assessment Brief

Useful terms:

Task summary:

You are required to produce a professional analysis briefing paper (2000 words) that investigates a specific quantitative enquiry within the UK health or social care system. Your task is to define a clear problem, gather and prepare publicly available data, analyse it to understand the issue, and present evidence-based recommendations. The enquiry should specify population, location, timeframe, and outcomes, and you must explain why it matters for policy or practice.

You should use at least two credible datasets, such as Statista, NHS England, ONS, Skills for Care, or CQC, and demonstrate how you have cleaned, manipulated, and analysed the data. Descriptive statistics, comparisons, and simple statistical tests may be applied, with results presented through clear tables and charts. Findings must be interpreted in terms of impact on patients, staff, or services, with limitations noted. The work must be ethical, based only on open data, and transparent in method.

The Briefing Paper should contain the following: 

• An executive summary,
• Background and rationale (problem statement, research questions and aim of briefing paper),
• Data collection approach (including justification for choices),
• Presentation of data including visuals (with reference)
• Interpretation of findings and
• Recommendations/Conclusions.

Assignment instructions:

Step 1 – Background & Rationale

• Define your enquiry
• Pick a clear, measurable problem (population, place, time, outcome).
• Explain why it matters for health or social care.

Step 2 – Data Collection Approach

• Provide an overview of how you gathered your data
• Use at least two credible open datasets (e.g., NHS England, ONS, Skills for Care, CQC). You must reference your data sources in your work.

Step 3 – Presentation of Data

• Clean and organise your data (e.g., calculate rates, percentages, or benchmarks).
• Use descriptive statistics, comparisons, and simple tests (e.g., correlations) where appropriate.
• Present your results in clear charts/tables with titles and labels.

Step 4 – Interpretation of findings

• Interpret your data and explain what the data is telling you.
• Include visuals (charts/tables) where applicable

Step 5 – Recommendations for future practice

• Make recommendations based on your findings for future practice.

Step 6 – Limitations of study

• Explain the limitations of your study

Your report structure

Your report should be aimed at a senior, non-technical audience and include:

1. Executive Summary – short overview of your enquiry and findings
2. Background & Rationale – why this issue is important
3. Data collection approach– data sources and how you analysed them
4. Presentation of data – Clean data, use visuals such as charts/tables
5. Interpretation of findings – Explain your results with visuals where applicable
6. Recommendations – practical, evidence-based solutions
7. Limitations – weaknesses in data or methods etc
8. References – Arden Harvard style
9. Appendix – extra data, charts, or reproducibility notes (optional, not in word count)

Ethical considerations

• Only use open data.
• Respect licensing and data protection rules.
• Be transparent about caveats (e.g., missing data, small numbers). • Reference your sources of data in your work        

You will be assessed on the following:

1. Clarity and relevance of enquiry
   • Your ability to identify a focused, measurable health or social care problem and explain why it matters for policy, practice, or service delivery.
2. Use of data sources
   • Selection of credible, publicly available datasets and evidence of appropriate data cleaning, preparation, and manipulation.
3. Data analysis and interpretation
   • Application of relevant quantitative methods, including descriptive statistics, comparisons, and simple statistical tests if appropriate. You should show insight in interpreting findings and acknowledge limitations.
4. Presentation and communication
   • Clear, professional communication aimed at a senior, non-technical audience, supported by well-structured tables, charts, and visuals.
5. Evidence-based recommendations
   • Development of practical, feasible, and data-driven solutions that are directly linked to your analysis.
6. Academic practice
   • Correct use of Arden Harvard referencing, clear structure, and evidence of ethical use of open data. Your ability to present information in a clear, concise and structured manner for the audience in the question. Evidence of critical thinking through a clear structured, logical and evidence-based approach

You will be graded based on how well you meet these learning outcomes. Your marker will use a rubric/ marking matrix to grade your work, and you can access this by clicking on the submission portal.

Learning outcomes (LO)

By completing this assessment, you will have shown and be assessed on all five of the learning outcomes:

1. Analyse data to improve health and social services and demonstrate key knowledge of how service performance is measured within existing quality frameworks.
2. Evaluate and apply key concepts of health analytics to generate actionable insight that will drive evidence-based decision-making.
3. Identify challenges to be able to anticipate, plan for and manage a data and insight initiative.
4. Evaluate and analyse the key digital skills and technologies necessary to perform data analytics.
5. Graduate Attribute: Effective Communication

Students will communicate effectively both verbally and in writing, using a range of media widely used in relevant professional context. They will be IT, digitally and information literate.

You will be graded based on how well you meet these learning outcomes. Your marker will use a rubric/ marking matrix to grade your work, and you can access this by clicking on the submission portal.

Guidelines and policies

You can find links to more useful information about the assignment and university policies below.

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