About the School of Health and Social Work

The School of Health and Social Work came into effect in 2012 following the merger of the School of Health and Emergency Professions and the School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work.

Today, the School consists of two academic departments, an internationally renowned research centre and a newly formed research centre:

Allied Health Professions, Midwifery and Social Work
This includes Diagnostic Radiography, Paramedic Science, Physiotherapy, Therapeutic Radiography, Midwifery and Social Work
Nursing, Health and Wellbeing
This includes Adult Nursing, Children's Nursing, Learning Disabilities Nursing, and Mental Health Nursing
Centre for Research in Public Health and Community Care (CRIPACC)
The Centre is focused on producing research that makes a difference to people’s lives by improving the quality of health and social care services and promoting health and wellbeing.
Centre for Applied Clinical, Health and Care Research (CACHE)
CACHE will bring together academics and clinicians/practitioners to collaborate on cutting edge and interdisciplinary research projects to advance the fields of health and social care.

Our Courses

We offer an extensive range of courses at apprenticeship level, undergraduate, postgraduate as well as CPD and short courses. To ensure that our curricula remain relevant and contemporary, we work closely with professional bodies.

At undergraduate level, our courses are approved by professional bodies and importantly by a regulator.

Nursing and Midwifery courses are approved by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), Allied Health professions by the Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC) and Social Work by Social Work England.

Research Excellence

Our research achieved high results across the UK in the last Research Excellent Framework 2021. Over 91% of our impact case studies were graded 3* and 4* (which is world-leading and internationally excellent). This demonstrates our capacity and expertise in addressing real-world challenges and creating positive impact in public domains.

Recognition has also been given to our research environment: how we support research through student and staff development, research structures and our facilities, with 100% of our environment being graded as 3* and 4*.

Students can also study at Doctorate level either for a PhD or a Doctorate in Health Research. Our research students work closely with research staff. Find out more about research at the University of Hertfordshire.

Athena Swan

The School of Health and Social Work is committed to recognising and addressing gender equality across academia for all students and staff. We were awarded Athena SWAN Bronze status in April 2015 and Silver in November 2018, which acknowledges our ongoing commitment to gender equality.

Staff Expertise

We have over 200 members of academic staff the majority of which are qualified in a particular health discipline and are registered with the professional body. Many of our staff continue to work in clinical practise ensuring their skills and expertise remain relevant. They are supported by a team of educational technologists, technical and professional staff.

Our Healthcare Partnerships

We work closely with the National Health Service (NHS) and local authorities who provide placements for our students and in a number of cases collaborate with us in research.

Our NHS partners are:

East of England
London
South of England
East Midlands