Foundations of Advanced Practice in Frailty Care (MACP4023)

This module enables registered multiprofessional practitioners working across health and social care settings to develop a critical and comprehensive understanding of frailty and the care of older adults living with frailty within complex health and care systems.

Part of Advanced Clinical Practice MSc/Advanced Clinical Practitioner Apprenticeship (ACPA) Programme MSc

This module is part of the University's MSc Advanced Clinical Practice. You will study alongside other students on this course. The module is also part of the Professional Development MA/MSc course - a flexible course that you help design to take your career to the next level.

Overview

NHS England defines frailty as ‘a long-term clinical state of increased vulnerability to stressors, common in older adults.’ Older adults defined as frail are at high risk of adverse outcomes such as falls, immobility, delirium, incontinence, side effects of medication and admission to hospital or the need for long-term care. NHS England (2024) FRAIL strategy aims to improve acute care for older people by enhancing same-day emergency care (SDEC) and avoiding overnight admissions. It emphasises using Clinical Frailty Scores (CFS), 4AT tests for delirium, and integrated care to facilitate safe, rapid discharge.

Contents will include:B

Biological and psychosocial aspects of ageing
Frailty as a long-term condition
Population health and healthy ageing
Conceptual and clinical models of frailty
Principles and application of Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment
Shared decision-making in complexity
Personalised care and support planning
Functional decline, mobility, falls prevention and rehabilitation in frailty
Quality improvement and service development in frailty care
Legal, ethical, and professional considerations in the care of older adults living with frailty
Introduction to advanced clinical reasoning and professional judgement within frailty care

On successful completion, students will demonstrate interprofessional working, evidenced based interventions, advanced communication and decision-making capabilities, and the application person-centred and shared decision-making approaches to support older adults living with frailty. This module contributes to the development of advanced practice capabilities and supports workforce needs across all care environments.

It is expected that all advertised modules will run, but there may be situations where there are insufficient students to make a particular module viable.

Career benefits

This module enables multiprofessional registered practitioners working across health and social care settings to develop a critical and comprehensive understanding of frailty and the care of older adults living with frailty within complex health and care systems.

It is designed to support registered practitioners working in a range of roles involved in the care of older adults living with frailty, including advanced practitioners, clinical nurse specialists, community practitioners and professionals working across health and social care services.The module may also contribute to Advanced Clinical Practice pathways in line with the Multi-professional Framework for Advanced Practice (NHSE, 2025) and provides a foundation for the development of advanced clinical reasoning, leadership and service improvement capabilities in frailty care.

Module delivery

Teaching and learning strategies are designed to support experienced practitioners to critically develop knowledge, professional judgement, and advanced clinical and professional decision-making capabilities relevant to the care of older adults living with frailty within complex healthcare environments.

The module adopts a blended learning approach that integrates synchronous teaching sessions with directed online learning activities and guided independent study. Interactive seminar-style sessions will support critical discussion, case-based analysis, and application of contemporary research, policy, and professional frameworks to complex practice contexts.

Teaching sessions may include input from subject specialists and will incorporate collaborative learning approaches such as case-based learning, problem-based discussion, and facilitated peer learning to support the development of advanced clinical reasoning and interprofessional understanding.

Asynchronous learning activities delivered through the virtual learning environment will support preparation for synchronous sessions and encourage critical engagement with key literature, policy, and practice guidance. These activities are designed to promote evidence synthesis, reflective practice, and application of learning within the student’s professional context.

Learning activities are designed to support the development of advanced clinical reasoning and professional judgement when working with older adults living with frailty, particularly in situations characterised by complexity, uncertainty, and risk. Students will be encouraged to integrate evidence, policy, and professional experience in order to critically evaluate practice and inform decision-making within their own professional context.

Timetabled sessions (subject to change)

These sessions run 9:15am - 4:15pm

15 September 2026 (synchronous - online)
22 September 2026 (asynchronous)
29 September 2026 (synchronous - online)
6 October 2026 (asynchronous)
13 October 2026 (synchronous - online)
20 October 2026 (asynchronous)
27 October 2026 (synchronous - online)
3 November 2026 (asynchronous)
10 November 2026 (synchronous - online)
24 November 2026 (asynchronous)
1 December 2026 (asynchronous)
Assessment days: 19 January 2027 (summative presentations)

Assessments

Assessment: Written Report: 3000-words
Individual Presentation: 15 minutes with 10 minutes of questions

Entry requirements

Applicants must be a registered healthcare professional employed in a relevant health or social care setting or be able to demonstrate access to an appropriate practice context to support achievement of module learning outcomes
Nominated by their line manager and selected by the employing organisation
Evidence of level 6 study (or equivalent)