HCM5001 Fundamentals of Health and Care Finance Assignment Brief 2026 | Arden University

Assignment Brief

As part of the formal assessment for the programme you are required to submit a portfolio of finance tasks assignment. Please refer to your Student Handbook for full details of the programme assessment scheme and general information on preparing and submitting assignments.

Learning Outcomes:

After completing the module, you should be able to:

1. Explore and evaluate the financial environment under which health and social care services are provided.
2. Explain the accounting process to prepare financial statements in healthcare and analyse the role of the finance function in a healthcare organisation.
3. Interpret financial statements in healthcare and evaluate financial information for the management of healthcare organisations.
4. Determine how to prioritise and evaluate investments in healthcare by applying tools to assess their financial viability and their benefits/costs for the population of interest.
5. Graduate attributes: Professional Skills Students will perform effectively within the professional environment. They will work within a team, demonstrating interpersonal skills such as effective listening, negotiating, persuading and presentation. They will be flexible and adaptable to changes within the professional environment.

Guidance

Your assignment should include: a title page containing your student number, the module name, the submission deadline and the exact word count of your submitted document; the appendices if relevant; and a reference list in (see referencing section for more information). You should address all the elements of the assignment task listed below. Please note that tutors will use the assessment criteria set out below in assessing your work.

You must not include your name in your submission because Arden University operates anonymous marking, which means that markers should not be aware of the identity of the student. However, please do not forget to include your STU number.

Maximum word count: 3000 words

Please refer to the full word count policy which can be found in the Student Policies section here: Arden University | Regulatory Framework

The word count includes everything in the main body of the assessment (including in text citations and references). The word count excludes numerical data in tables, figures, diagrams, footnotes, reference list and appendices. All other printed words ARE included in the word count.
Students who exceed the wordcount up to a 10% margin will not be penalised. Students should note that no marks will be assigned to work exceeding the specified limit once the maximum assessment size limit has been reached.

Assignment Task

To complete your assignment, you are required to select 2 assignment tasks from the selection of topic options below, and will need to address all learning outcomes in both tasks to make up a complete portfolio of 3000 words or Arden University equivalence.

Each assignment task can be presented as either 1500 words essay or a 10-minute recorded presentation. The choice is your responsibility and both options offer the equal opportunity to demonstrate achievement of all learning outcomes.

Topic 1: Analysing the Financial Environment in a health service setting (1500 words or 10-minute presentation)

Scenario

As a manager in a medium-sized health service organisation, you are facing challenges in maintaining financial stability. The shifting focus in government priorities, changing demographics, global and national economic pressures, technologic advancements and the lasting effects of the Covid-19 pandemic are putting significant strain on the organisation's finances. The board of directors have asked you to look into how the organisation operates, and how its future performance may be affected by the current and macro health finance environment and predicted trends.

You will need to:

• Explore the current and potential impact of key financial pressures impacting the organisation, drawing upon the key macro health finance environment through PESTEL analysis and critical discussion.
• Compare and contrast 2 different health care funding models and explain how both models may affect the sustainability of your organisation.
• Outline the accounting process of preparing and interpreting financial statements in line with the scenario.
• Recommend 2 strategic actions that the organisation could implement to address these financial pressures.
• Investigate healthcare investment trends, and suggest an investment opportunity. evaluating the benefits and concerns to your organisation/population of interest (consider ethical concerns, risks and mitigation management).
• Justify your recommendation by providing solutions to its financial challenges (e.g.. sustainability, cost control and budgeting, efficiency, patient outcomes.

Topic 2: Strategic Investment in a Health or Social Care setting (1500 words or 10-minute presentation)

Scenario:

Your health or social care organisation is considering investment in a new digital health care initiative to address a problem impacting productivity and patient experience. The board of directors is unsure about the financial viability given current constraints, and they are requesting you to advise on the overall financial and service improvement benefits, potential financial risk, and long-term implications of such an investment.

You will need to:

• Explore the current financial pressures that health and social care organisations are faced with, drawing upon the key macro health finance environment through PESTEL analysis and critical discussion.
• Evaluate the benefits of investing in technology for sustainable service improvement and patient outcomes.
• Outline the accounting process of preparing and interpreting financial statements in line with the scenario to demonstrate the requirement for change in investment.
• Highlight 2 major financial risks associated with health technology investment, such as upfront costs, data security and maintenance requirements.
• Offer suggestions on how such risks can be mitigated, while still moving forward with the investment.
• Critically discuss how investing in technology can enhance the long-term financial sustainability of the organisation and consider applicable ethical issues and how they would be managed.

Topic 3: Exploring Financial Pressures in Health or Social Care: The Role of Budgeting and Decision-Making in Overcoming Challenges

(1500 words or 10 minute presentation)

Scenario

The financial landscape of health and social care is complex and continuously changing. The board of directors in your organisation are mindful that they are operating amid a financial crisis. Efficient budgeting and decision-making are critical to the sustainability of your organisation in regard to the success of implementing ongoing service improvement plans and patient outcomes. As the manager in the organisation, you have been tasked with outlining the importance of smart budgeting and decision-making for service improvement strategy and overcoming challenges in the current financial climate.

You will need to:

• Explore the current finance pressures that health and social care organisations are faced with, drawing upon the key macro health finance environment through PESTEL analysis and critical discussion.
• Critically discuss the importance of efficient budgeting and decision-making for service improvement and patient outcomes. You may wish to consider the impact of patient-level costing on quality of service and resource allocation in health or social
  care.
• Critically analyse 2 budgeting tools that can be used to manage future investment opportunities.
• Outline the accounting process of preparing and interpreting financial statements in line with the scenario to demonstrate the requirement for change in investment. • Discuss the importance of prioritisation and evaluation in investments in healthcare by applying tools to assess their financial viability and their benefits/costs for the population of interest.

Topic 4: Financial Sustainability in Social Care 

Scenario

You are a newly appointed manager for a medium-sized social care provider, the organisation offers home care for the elderly, supported living for adults with disabilities, and day-care services for vulnerable groups. With the rising demand for social care services and instability in the social care workforce driven by an ageing population and limited public funding, the organisation is facing growing financial challenges. Increasing focus is being placed on the investment in workforce training and digital systems. The organisation is struggling to understand the financial impact of such change, and balance staying sustainable with ensuring fair access to care for all clients. Your managerial role involves helping the organisation adapt to this new financial reality and improve its decision-making processes moving forward.

You will need to:

• Identify and critically discuss 3 major financial pressures that the organisation is likelyfacing, considering factors such as rising costs of care provision, increased demanddue to an ageing population and funding limitations.
• Reflect on recent health care policies andinvestment priorities on the implications onthe organisation’s long-term financial sustainability.
• Outline the accounting process of preparing and interpreting financial statements inline with the scenario to demonstrate the requirement for change in investment.
• Compare and contrast 2 different social care funding models, and analyse how eachmodel might affect the organisation’s financial sustainability and its ability to providequality care.
• Consider long-term sustainability and ethical considerations by recommending theorganisation’s innovative strategy to respond to a financial shift in priorities andinvestment.

This module is marked using the Arden University Categorical Marking Criteria

(3000 Words or equivalence)
(100 Marks)
(LOs: 1,2,3,4,GA)

Assessment Criteria: