LW3MED: Medical Law

Module code: LW3MED

Module provider: School of Law

Credits: 20

Level: Level 3 (Honours)

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr Rachel Horton, email: r.e.horton@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: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module examines legal, ethical and policy issues in the provision of healthcare in the UK. It explores the processes and principles in medical decision-making within the private doctor-patient relationship. It aims to provide students with a working knowledge of the law relating to rights of access to medical treatment and considerations relevant to the private doctor-patient relationship. It will give students the opportunity to develop their common law reasoning skills, conduct research and engage in independent, critical thought. It will also encourage students to debate topical legal and ethical debates concerning life and death decisions and to understand how policy decisions are taken.

Module learning outcomes

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

1. Recognise the leading cases and statutes pertaining to disputes between doctors, patients, health authorities and the governmentand apply the relevant law to practical problem scenarios
2. Critically analyse the law and policy in the different areas studied and assess the need for reform
3. Critically evaluate the role of patients, doctors and the courts in making medical treatment decisions and assess the balance between competing principles and rights
4. Communicate complex legal and ethical concepts in the context of health law policy

Module content

This module will cover a range of topics relating to the regulation and provision of healthcare in England & Wales, and the development of policy on contemporary issues. Examples of areas covered could include: the question of the right to access treatment and healthcare; the doctor-patient relationship and decision-making processes; the context of patients’ rights; and clinical negligence. Topics within these broad areas will be chosen according to pertinence of contemporary challenges and debates.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module will comprise two hours of lectures weekly and one two-hour seminar fortnightly (weeks exclude mid term break and Easter vacation). Seminars will provide an opportunity for students to actively engage with the material through pre-seminar preparation and enable feedback and support to be provided within the seminar itself. Seminars will be student-led and require advance preparation and active participation on a fortnightly basis.

There will be additional activities including on-line revision and support sessions; invited speakers; and directed recorded material (such as external lectures/podcasts).

Study hours

At least 32 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 an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

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 any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• 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 working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/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.

Detailed plan of a policy briefing/consultation paper on an identified topic with full bibliography in preparation for first summative piece of work. 800 words max for plan, excluding bibliography. To be submitted by end of week 4 (mid semester break).

Reassessment

Additional costs