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Assessment and Management of Service-Users with Eating, Drinking and Swallowing Difficulties (Non-credit bearing)

2025-26 (also available for 2023-24)

Start date

22 September 2025

Duration

3 months part-time (taught over 4 days)

Credits: Non-credit bearing

Code: HXH5006

Places available (subject to change)

20

About the course

This non-credit bearing course provides an innovative, contemporary and holistic-based approach for registered Speech and Language Therapists and Health Care Professionals to acquire theoretical knowledge and practical application of the assessment and management of service users with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties.

  • The course has been co-developed by Senior Academics, practising Speech and Language Therapists and Health Care Professionals with extensive clinical experience.
  • The accessible and inclusive content will reflect and represent contemporary issues including clinical decision making across the lifespan, legal/ethical/professional dilemmas, mental capacity, safeguarding and challenging conversations.
  • Service users and/or carers with lived experiences of eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties will form an integral part of authentic teaching and learning opportunities that will facilitate a collaborative and person-centred approach to assessment and management from the outset.
  • Through work-based learning, the integration of theory with practical skills, will facilitate the consolidation of clinical competencies as well as a foundation for continual professional development.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching, learning and assessment strategies are designed to offer you a variety of opportunities that align with the module learning outcomes and enable realistic and effective preparation to autonomously undertake the assessment and management of service users with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties.

This module will follow an accessible and inclusive blended-learning approach, with lectures, seminars and work-based learning combined with high-quality online content designed to inspire and stimulate learners to engage in the module and develop their own theoretical knowledge and practical application. Learners will be encouraged to participate in continual reflective practice, particularly through guided independent study. Service users and/or carers will be involved. In addition, individual and group work will be utilised, including the sharing of experiences between learners in the formation of an ongoing community of practice.

Assessment aims to support learning and to measure achievement. This will be undertaken through a competency-based portfolio. Your module specification and course handbook will provide full details of assessment-related information.

All aspects of the module will be supported by digital resources in the virtual learning environment (VLE). The VLE is an information source for all aspects of teaching, learning and assessment which can be accessed remotely.

Entry requirements

This course is suitable for SaLT and registered healthcare professionals (including nurses) who work in settings where service users present with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties.

You will need access to 50 hours of work-based learning supported by a clinical educator in a setting where service users present with eating, drinking and swallowing difficulties.

If your first language is not English, you will need to meet the minimum requirements of an English Language qualification. The minimum of IELTS 6.0 overall with no element lower than 5.5, or equivalent. Read more about the University’s entry requirements for students outside of the UK on our International Entry Requirements page.

Placements


Learners will require access to 50 hours of work-based learning supported by a Clinical Educator in a setting where service users present with eating, drinking and/or swallowing difficulties.

Student support

At the University of Huddersfield, you'll find support networks and services to help you get ahead in your studies and social life. Whether you study at undergraduate or postgraduate level, you'll soon discover that you're never far away from our dedicated staff and resources to help you to navigate through your personal student journey. Find out more about all our support services.

Important information

Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons

When you enrol as a student of the University, your study and time with us will be governed by our terms and conditions, Handbook of Regulations and associated policies. It is important that you familiarise yourself with these as you will be asked to agree to them when you join us as a student. You will find a guide to the key terms here, along with the Student Protection Plan.

Although we always try and ensure we deliver our courses as described, sometimes we may have to make changes for the following reasons

Changes to a course you have applied for but are not yet enrolled on

If we propose to make a major change to a course that you are holding an offer for, then we will tell you as soon as possible so that you can decide whether to withdraw your application prior to enrolment. We may occasionally have to withdraw a course you have applied for or combine your programme with another programme if we consider this reasonably necessary to ensure a good student experience, for example if there are not enough applicants. Where this is the case we will notify you as soon as reasonably possible and we will discuss with you other suitable courses we can transfer your application to. If you do not wish to transfer to another course with us, you may cancel your application and we will refund you any deposits or fees you have paid to us.

Changes to your course after you enrol as a student

Changes to option modules:

Where your course allows you to choose modules from a range of options, we will review these each year and change them to reflect the expertise of our staff, current trends in research and as a result of student feedback or demand for certain modules. We will always ensure that you have an equivalent range of options to that advertised for the course. We will let you know in good time the options available for you to choose for the following year.

Major changes:

We will only make major changes to non-optional modules on a course if it is necessary for us to do so and provided such changes are reasonable. A major change is a change that substantially changes the outcomes, or a significant part of your course, such as the nature of the award or a substantial change to module content, teaching days (part time provision), type of delivery or assessment of the core curriculum. For example, it may be necessary to make a major change to reflect changes in the law or the requirements of the University’s regulators or a commissioning or accrediting body. We may also make changes to improve the course in response to student, examiners’ or other course evaluators’ feedback or to ensure you are being taught current best practice. Major changes may also be necessary because of circumstances outside our reasonable control, such as a key member of staff leaving the University or being unable to teach, where they have a particular specialism that can’t be adequately covered by other members of staff; or due to damage or interruption to buildings, facilities or equipment, or pandemics.

Major changes would usually be made with effect from the next academic year, but may happen sooner in an emergency. We will notify you as soon as possible should we need to make a major change and will carry out suitable consultation. If you reasonably believe that the proposed change will cause you detriment or hardship we will, if appropriate, work with you to try to reduce the adverse effect on you or find an appropriate solution. Where an appropriate solution cannot be found and you contact us in writing before the change takes effect you can cancel your registration and withdraw from the University without liability to the University for future tuition fees. We will provide reasonable support to assist you with transferring to another university if you wish to do so.

In exceptional circumstances, we may, for reasons outside of our control, be forced to discontinue or suspend your course. Where this is the case, a formal exit strategy will be followed in accordance with the student protection plan.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the principal regulator for the University.