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Continuing Education Course

Development and Evaluation of Complex Interventions

Lead the development of interventions for people with complex and advanced care needs.

Course length 12 weeks part-time
Start date January 2026
Location Online

Introduction

About the course

Complex interventions are commonly used in health and social care settings and have consequences for the health and wellbeing of patient and carers.

Complex interventions include multiple interacting components and mechanisms that can be modified by the context in which the intervention is delivered. Understanding this process is essential if an intervention is to be fit for purpose, and able to be rolled out elsewhere.

Students receive 20 Level 7 credits on completing this short course, including the assessment.

You can take the short course on its own or as part of a postgraduate research degree at Hull York Medical School (MSc, MD, or PhD). It can also be taken as part of the PGCert/PGDip/MSc Palliative Care: Implementing Best Practice programme. 

What you will learn

This course introduces you to the range of ways interventions can be developed, the key principles of developing complex interventions and considers how interventions can then be evaluated within the context of palliative care.

Informed by the revised Medical Research Council (MRC) Complex Interventions Framework, this course will take you through the stages of intervention development and evaluation, keeping patients and carers at the heart of the process.

Upon successfully completing the course, you will be able to:

  • Critically understand and evaluate a range of research methods relevant to the development and evaluation of complex interventions.
  • Understand the role of the MRC Framework for the development and evaluation of complex interventions. 
  • Understand how to design and conduct palliative care research that makes a positive difference to the lives of patients, carers, and healthcare professionals.

Throughout the course, you will be prompted to link your learning to relevant aspects of your research and/or clinical practice.

Who is this course for?

This course is ideal for clinicians or researchers interested in applied clinical and health research who want to know more about the development of complex interventions in healthcare.

How is this course delivered?

This online course allows for flexible study to fit around other commitments. You are encouraged to participate in the weekly one-hour Monday morning group discussion sessions and will undertake 3 - 5 hours of independent study each week.

How is this course assessed?

The final assessment is a poster with an oral presentation.

CONTACT US

Maureen Twiddy

Dr Maureen Twiddy,
Programme Director

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Cindy Forbes

Dr Cindy Forbes,
Programme Director

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Fees and funding

Tuition Fees

The fee for this course for the academic year 2025/6 is £2,100.

Fees are reviewed annually and may change.

Professional Development Grants

Applicants currently employed at hospices in the UK may be eligible to apply for a professional development grant via Hospice UK, such as the Wolfson Professional Development Grant and the Masonic Charitable Foundation (MCF) bursary. These grants can provide up to £1,500 per year, with matched funding by your hospice encouraged by Hospice UK.

Visit the Hospice UK website for further information.

 

Entry

Entry requirements

Applicants must have previous training in a health or social care profession (e.g. graduates of medicine, nursing, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, or social work or other allied health and social care professions), in a science applied to human or organisational behaviour (e.g. graduates of psychology or sociology) or have equivalent professional experience.

Applicants must have a 2.1 degree or equivalent.

All applications will be subject to the successful completion of an online interview.

English language requirements

Applicants whose first language is not English must have one of the following:

  • IELTS: 6.5, with no less than 6.0 in each component
  • PTE Academic: 61, with no less than 55 in each component
  • CAE and CPE (from January 2015): 176, with no less than 169 in each component
  • TOEFL: 87, with a minimum of 21 in each component
  • Trinity ISE: level 3 with Merit in all components
  • LangCert B2 Communicator High Pass (minimum score 33/50)
  • WASSCE: C5

Applying

How to apply

Email [email protected] to find out more about applying to study this short course.

Join our continuing professional education mailing list to be the first to hear when applications for this short course are open and to get the latest news from Hull York Medical School.

Annually reviewed

Courses and their content are reviewed on an annual basis to ensure they remain up to date and relevant. Individual modules are occasionally updated or withdrawn. Where changes are necessary or proposed, we will advise applicants and enrolled students at the earliest possible opportunity.