Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Occupational Health Nursing) PGDip

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This innovative Postgraduate Diploma is delivered live online (Distance Learning), providing practical support to qualified nurses to deliver advanced practice in a community setting, and undertaking quality improvement or service evaluations. On completion of this course, you will have met the NMC requirements of a SCPHN Occupational Health Nurse and will feel confident in your ability to manage complex cases, deliver advanced practice interventions, deliver quality improvement and evaluate changes made. 

Our course is designed to support ‘live’ improvement projects and service evaluations. It appreciates the dynamic and complex environment of contemporary service provision and includes real case studies and presentations from experienced people with a track record of delivery in quality improvement and service evaluation.

The underpinning philosophy is engagement—‘all share, all learn’—and therefore, the course provides opportunities for students to learn, support, and challenge each other in their improvement efforts.

The course is 40% theory and 60% practice and this is integrated across the duration of the course. You will undertake the theoretical component in the University, and undertake the practice component in a community setting under the supervision of a qualified Practice Assessor and Practice Supervisor from the defined area of practice.

Join us online on Wednesday, 25th March 2026, at 12:00 - 13:00 or 22nd April 18:00 – 19:00 to learn more about this exciting opportunity. This event is your chance to explore the journey to becoming an NMC-registered SCPHN specialising in Occupational Health Nursing.

What You'll Study

Modules

The content of this module is designed to enable students to meet the needs of service users, carers and organisations in the 21st Century and to achieve the Nursing and Midwifery Council (2022) Standards of proficiency for specialist community public health nurses. The spheres of practice will be taught and assessed throughout the module and at the end of the programme and point of registration, the registered SCPHN will be proficient in all core and field proficiencies within the spheres. 

  • Sphere A: Autonomous SCPHN practice
  • Sphere B: Transforming specialist community public health nursing practice: evidence, research, evaluation and translation 
  • Sphere C: Promoting human rights and addressing inequalities: assessment, surveillance and intervention  
  • Sphere D: Population health: enabling, supporting and improving health outcomes of people across the life course 
  • Sphere E: Advancing public health services and promoting healthy places, environments  and cultures
  • Sphere F: Leading and collaborating: from investment to action and dissemination

    

This module provides a comprehensive foundation in public health theory and practice across the lifespan, focusing on population health and community wellbeing. You'll explore emerging public health themes, policies, and governance at local, national, and global levels, supported by epidemiology and demography to assess health needs and social determinants. Emphasis is placed on ethical, legal, and evidence-based frameworks that empower inclusive, person-centred care and health promotion. You'll develop skills in partnership working, community development, and safeguarding, while gaining specialist knowledge in social prescribing, genomics, and epigenetics. The module also covers infection control, vaccination, and managing public health incidents—preparing you for effective, community-focused practice.

 

Module content will include: 

  • Underpinning theories and principles of public health across the lifespan, population health and the wellbeing of people and communities. Emerging public health themes, key policies, strategies and related governance requirements, including global and national policies and research. 
  • Understanding epidemiology and demography. Specialist knowledge and application of epidemiological evidence at national and local policy levels, to include utilisation of data in the assessment and identification of need within social determinants of health across the lifespan. 
  • Utilisation of professional, legal and ethical frameworks to empower individuals and communities to engage effectively with public health and health promotion initiatives promoting person centred inclusive care. Adopting an evidence base to underpin specialist community and public health nursing practice to support innovative approaches to influence people’s motivation, choices and behaviour to maximise their health potential.  
  • Partnership roles. Understanding the unique contributions which specialist community nursing and public health nursing practice make to establishing and maintaining collaborative partnerships with people, families and communities.
  • Understanding of how culturally responsive resources and community and strength-based assets support health and wellbeing. Application of specialist knowledge of social prescribing and commissioning. Identifying those who are vulnerable and taking action to support, safeguard and protect them. Understand and apply genomics and epigenetics in sufficient detail to inform the concept of health as a fundamental human right and a shared value. 
  • Understanding how communities are developed and sustained in relation to their specialised characteristics and assets, and acknowledge their impact when planning preventative strategies to reduce inequalities within a diverse and multicultural society. Political and economic drivers in communities which impact upon resource allocation and health. Understanding how to assess, plan, implement and evaluate major incidents and outbreaks in population health. Infection prevention and control including immunisation and vaccination programmes.

This module develops your ability to engage with evidence-based practice and data-driven decision-making to improve professional and clinical outcomes. You'll explore key research concepts, including formulating research questions, sampling, data validity, and the use of qualitative and quantitative methods. Various research designs—such as ethnography, surveys, and mixed methods—are introduced alongside practical data collection techniques like interviews, observation, and audits. Ethical and legal considerations, including data protection, confidentiality, and cultural competence, are emphasised throughout. You’ll also learn how to audit current practice, involve service users, and apply quality improvement models to drive innovation, evaluate services, and lead meaningful change in professional settings.

The module content will include:

  • Data and professional practice: Evidence-based practice, benchmarking, audit, evaluation, practice development and quality improvement. 
  • Key concepts and issues in social and behavioural research: Research topics and research questions, answering questions with data, validity and reliability of data, qualitative and quantitative data, description, exploration, finding connections, formulating and testing hypotheses, populations and sampling, cultural competence in research practice. Research traditions and designs: Ethnography, survey, experiment, mixed method, research process. 
  • Gathering and analysing data: Observation, questionnaires, interviews, surveys, audits, psycho-biometrics. Data analysis and drawing conclusions. 
  • Ethical and legal frameworks, constraints in specialist practice, data protection, confidentiality, human rights, cultural competence, Helsinki declaration.  
  • Auditing current practice: Prioritisation, best practice standards, service and carer user involvement, collecting data, analysis and evaluation. 
  • Quality Improvement: QI models; co-production with service users; community of practice; leadership; monitoring methods and techniques for dissemination. 

    

The module content will include:

  • Data and professional practice: Evidence-based practice, benchmarking, audit, evaluation, practice development and quality improvement. 
  • Key concepts and issues in social and behavioural research: Research topics and research questions, answering questions with data, validity and reliability of data, qualitative and quantitative data, description, exploration, finding connections, formulating and testing hypotheses, populations and sampling, cultural competence in research practice. Research traditions and designs: Ethnography, survey, experiment, mixed method, research process. 
  • Gathering and analysing data: Observation, questionnaires, interviews, surveys, audits, psycho-biometrics. Data analysis and drawing conclusions. 
  • Ethical and legal frameworks, constraints in specialist practice, data protection, confidentiality, human rights, cultural competence, Helsinki declaration.  
  • Auditing current practice: Prioritisation, best practice standards, service and carer user involvement, collecting data, analysis and evaluation. 
  • Quality Improvement: QI models; co-production with service users; community of practice; leadership; monitoring methods and techniques for dissemination. 

The information listed in this section is an overview of the academic content of the course that will take the form of either core or option modules and should be used as a guide. We review the content of our courses regularly, making changes where necessary to improve your experience and graduate prospects. If during a review process, course content is significantly changed, we will contact you to notify you of these changes if you receive an offer from us.

How You'll Learn

This course offers a variety of teaching methods

There are a range of assessment methods on the course

This course is designed around online learning

Learn from experiences of staff delivering the course

An aerial photograph of Exton Park with the text 'How we teach at the University of Chester'

How we teach at the University of Chester

The programme will be delivered live online (Distance Learning), making it accessible to individuals across England and Wales, who may otherwise struggle to access the opportunity to further their careers in Occupational Health Nursing.

You will meet with staff, online, one day/week during the taught element of the programme and use the advantages of technology to create a learning community, whereby you can learn from each other and the different practices and contexts of Occupational Health Nursing, as well as the theoretical understanding and experiences of the staff delivering the programme. 

Teaching approaches will include exploration of case studies, development of understanding and support for studying at Level 7.  The assessments draw on a range of methods, which reflect the application of theory into practice.

Your Future Career

Job Prospects

By completing this course, you will gain a deep understanding of Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (SCPHN) practice. You will be equipped to assess the health needs of individuals, groups, and populations, and to design, implement, and evaluate effective interventions.

You will develop the skills and behaviours needed to work across professional and agency boundaries, and to lead and manage teams delivering public health services. With this qualification, you'll be ready to drive national and local health agendas, take on leadership roles, and shape the future of community-based clinical practice.

Careers Service

The University has an award-winning Careers and Employability service which provides a variety of employability-enhancing experiences; through the curriculum, through employer contact, tailored group sessions, individual information, advice and guidance.

Careers and Employability aims to deliver a service which is inclusive, impartial, welcoming, informed and tailored to your personal goals and aspirations, to enable you to develop as an individual and contribute to the business and community in which you will live and work.

We are here to help you plan your future, make the most of your time at University and to enhance your employability. We provide access to part-time jobs, extracurricular employability-enhancing workshops and offer practical one-to-one help with career planning, including help with CVs, applications and mock interviews. We also deliver group sessions on career planning within each course and we have a wide range of extensive information covering graduate jobs.

Entry Requirements

Essential registration and professional experience

To apply for this course, you must have:

  • Active Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) registration as either:
    • a nurse (Level 1), or
    • a registered midwife (Midwife part of the register).
  • The ability to demonstrate safe and effective practice at the level of proficiency required for the NMC‑approved Specialist Community Public Health Nursing (Occupational Health Nursing) programme.
  • Relevant professional experience, assessed jointly by the University and the practice partner, confirming your capability for safe and effective practice within your chosen pathway.
  • Employment as an Occupational Health student with an appropriate organisation that is approved by, and works in partnership with, the University of Chester.
  • Completion of Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks before the course starts.

Qualifications

You will need one of the following:

  • A minimum 2:2 honours degree in a related discipline or an academic/professional qualification (UK or international) that includes study comparable to 120 credits at Honours level.
  • A professional qualification of equivalent status, plus associated work experience, or another equivalent qualification deemed suitable by the Programme Team.

Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL)

If you do not hold one of the qualifications listed above, you may still be considered through the Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) route.

The course values prior learning and experience, and may offer access or advanced standing in line with:

  • the University of Chester APEL policy, and
  • the NMC (2022) Standards of Post‑Registration Education (sections 1.6, 1.6.1, 1.6.2).

Interview

As a prospective student, you will usually be interviewed by an academic with expertise in the course, alongside practice partners, employers, stakeholders, and often a Practice Assessor, or Supervisor, or service user. If any of these individuals are unavailable, questions developed by practice partners and service user groups will still be used to ensure their perspectives are represented. This process ensures your suitability for the course is assessed holistically, reflecting the real-world expectations of community nursing practice and the values of those you'll work with and support.

Fees and Funding

£3,585per year (2025/26)

Fees for this part-time Postgraduate Diploma in 2025/26 are £3,585 per year.

Guides to the fees for students who wish to commence postgraduate courses are available to view on our Postgraduate Taught Programmes Fees page. Here you will also find information about part-time fees and project/placement year fees.

Your course will involve additional costs not covered by your tuition fees. This may include books, printing, photocopying, educational stationery and related materials, specialist clothing, travel to placements, optional field trips and software. Compulsory field trips are covered by your tuition fees. 

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