FBMIPC: Inclusive Practice and Person-Centered Care

Module code: FBMIPC

Module provider: Food and Nutritional Sciences; School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy

Credits: 20

Level: 7

When you’ll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Mrs Dorothy Balhatchet, email: d.h.balhatchet@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2026/7

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 27 March 2026

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module will expand your knowledge on professional practice in a range of aspects of dietetics with a specific focus on working in an inclusive manner, communicating effectively with service users and the multidisciplinary team and developing holistic treatment plans in partnership with service users. Professional expectations and regulations for working within dietetics, including those related to professional competency and safeguarding are explored and applied, with a specific focus on the legal and ethical issues and responsibilities within the dietetic profession. Aspects such as the use of communications technology, structure of electronic health records and  appropriate record keeping will be also covered. The module aims to provide you with the qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment requiring the exercise of personal responsibility and decision-making.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate confidence, resilience, ambition and creativity and be identified as inclusive, collaborative and socially responsible 
2. Apply basic behaviour change and behaviour modification techniques to deliver evidence-based dietetic practice
3. Plan, review, monitor and evaluate the progress of nutrition and dietetic interventions and critically reflect on them to inform future practice
4. Demonstrate understanding of the HCPC Standards of Proficiency, the ethical and legal boundaries of the dietetic profession and the requirements for conduct.

Module content

The module will cover the following topics:

• Communication skills development, including motivational interviewing, humility and communicating with people requiring adjustments
• Legal and ethical boundaries of practice
• Practical skills for challenging discrimination and promoting inclusivity
• Wellbeing for healthcare professionals
• Emotional intelligence
• Telehealth
• Developing materials for public education (social media, blogs etc)
• Psychology concepts in relation to professional and client relationships and the psychological implications of long-term health conditions.
• Communication strategies to a diverse range of audience
• Person-centered dietary treatment for specific conditions: sports nutrition, eating disorders and mental health

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module will be delivered through lectures, workshops and seminars. Online resources and directed reading. Online resources include screencasts that will be available via Blackboard to provide core content and support the teaching of specific topics within the module. Guest lecturers from local NHS trusts and dietitians working in other sectors will deliver tailored workshops around aspects of professional practice for dietitians. 

Study hours

At least 60 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve all of the following to pass this module: 

1. An overall module mark of 50%
2. A mark of not less than 45% in any submodular component, in order to meet the accrediting body standard requirements (British Dietetics Association- BDA)

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each calendar day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three calendar days;
• where the piece of work is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in you Individual Learning Plan), the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three calendar days of the deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

Where a piece of work is submitted late after a deadline which has been revised owing to an extension granted through the Assessment Adjustments policy and process (self-certified or otherwise), it will be subject to the maximum penalty (i.e., considered to be more than three calendar days late). This will also apply when such an extension is used in conjunction with a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Reassessment

Additional costs