Diploma in Health & Performance Leadership (C104)

Upon successful completion of the programme, you will receive:

• Diploma in Health & Performance Leadership (C104)
• Irish Menopause Institute Accredited
• AIT (Association of Irish Therapists) Accredited
• CPD Standards Office Accredited
• QQI validation in progress
• Recognition of the learning completed as Continuing Professional Development

This distinctive programme combines menopause knowledge with training, communication, management and workplace-performance skills. It is designed to create a clear internal point of knowledge and navigation who can connect employees and managers with the organisation's existing HR, Occupational Health, EAP, wellbeing and healthcare pathways.

The role is practical and clearly bounded: the Health & Performance Lead supports informed conversations, appropriate workplace action, signposting, referral and follow-up without replacing existing organisational or healthcare functions.

C104 is designed for an existing employee whose Health & Performance Lead responsibilities can complement their current organisational role. The ideal participant already understands the organisation, its people and its culture; IMI provides the specialist capability.

It is particularly relevant for professionals working within:

• Human Resources / People & Culture
• Management and Leadership
• Learning & Development
• Occupational Health
• Health & Wellbeing
• Health & Safety
• Employee Experience
• Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
• Organisational Development
• Other appropriate people-facing organisational roles

The programme is particularly suited to organisations that already have policies, managers, HR, Occupational Health, EAP or wellbeing supports in place but want a clearer, more consistent pathway when menopause affects an employee's experience of work.

Through the Diploma, participants will develop the specialist knowledge, practical skills and professional confidence to:

• Understand the menopause transition, hormonal change, common symptoms and their potential impact on health and work
• Recognise when menopause may be relevant without making assumptions about an individual's health or performance
• Have informed, respectful and appropriate workplace conversations with employees and managers
• Communicate evidence-informed menopause information clearly to different audiences
• Plan and deliver structured internal menopause education and awareness
• Support managers to respond consistently and within organisational policy
• Navigate appropriate workplace supports, adjustments and escalation pathways
• Know when HR, Occupational Health, EAP, healthcare or specialist support should become involved
• Apply clear professional boundaries, confidentiality, documentation and governance principles
• Use a consistent Recognise, Respond, Record, Refer, Review workplace process
• Support follow-up and review so agreed actions remain appropriate
• Contribute to employee engagement, retention, organisational learning and workplace performance

Professional Scope

A Health & Performance Lead does not diagnose or prescribe. They do not replace HR, Occupational Health, management or an employee's healthcare professional. They know what they can do, what they cannot do and when another professional needs to become involved.

What Does Your Organisation Gain?

• Better Retention: support experienced employees to remain engaged, contributing and progressing within the organisation.
• Valued Experience: recognise and protect the knowledge, capability and organisational experience employees have built throughout their careers.
• Earlier Recognition: help recognise when menopause may be relevant before workplace difficulties unnecessarily escalate.
• Better Response: give employees and managers a clearer pathway towards appropriate workplace support.
• Greater Consistency: create a more consistent organisational approach rather than leaving individual managers to navigate complex situations alone.
• Better Results: connect appropriate employee support with engagement, capability, retention and workplace performance.

The Diploma is delivered across five structured modules. The first three modules form the Advanced Certificate in Menopause Education, followed by a dedicated training-delivery module and a Management, Leadership & Performance module.

1. Professional Practice, Communication Skills & Clinical Collaboration

Learn how to support women with confidence, care and clear professional boundaries. This module develops practical skills in communication, record keeping, referral awareness and collaborative working, including how to listen effectively, respond appropriately, recognise when further support is required and signpost women to clinical or specialist services.

2. Endocrine Physiology & Hormonal Regulation

Build a clear understanding of the hormonal changes that shape the menopause transition and how they affect the body and mind. This module makes the science accessible by exploring endocrine function, common symptoms and body systems, while connecting biological changes to women's health, energy, sleep, mood, wellbeing and daily life.

3. Biopsychosocial, Cognitive & Sexual Health in Menopause

Explore the wider emotional, cognitive, relational and sexual-health impact of menopause, examining confidence, identity, memory, concentration, relationships and sensitive conversations, supporting more respectful and inclusive education across workplace, community and health-support settings.

4. Effective Training Practice, Delivery & Evaluation Skills

Explore how adults learn and the factors that influence effective training, including trainer responsibilities, learning styles, group dynamics, inclusive practice and creating a positive learning environment. Develop the practical skills to plan, deliver and evaluate engaging training. This module supports participants to translate menopause knowledge into structured, professional and consistent workplace education.

5. Management, Leadership, Performance & Cultural Change

Develop the management and leadership capability to apply menopause knowledge appropriately within the workplace. Explore the relationship between employee health, engagement and performance; the role of leadership in shaping culture; sensitive workplace conversations; supporting managers; embedding good practice; and creating sustainable cultural change while maintaining appropriate professional boundaries.

A Clear Workplace Approach

Participants learn a simple and consistent workplace process:

• Recognise: understand when menopause may be relevant.
• Respond: have an informed and appropriate workplace conversation.
• Record: document agreed actions appropriately where organisational procedures require it.
• Refer: know when management, HR, Occupational Health, EAP, healthcare or specialist support should become involved.
• Review: follow up and determine whether the agreed response remains appropriate.

A clear pathway from conversation to appropriate action.

Assessment is continuous throughout the programme. Learners complete practical, written and reflective tasks linked to the programme modules. Applied workplace scenarios, communication practice and a final practical assessment allow participants to demonstrate that they can translate knowledge into appropriate workplace action while maintaining clear professional boundaries.

Learners must:

• Attend a minimum of 80% of scheduled teaching
• Achieve a minimum mark of 60% in each assessment
• Successfully complete all required practical, written, reflective and final assessments
• Demonstrate appropriate professional conduct, communication, governance and awareness of scope

Clear guidance, feedback and learner support will be provided throughout the programme.

The Health & Performance Lead is designed to operate within, and strengthen, the organisation's existing professional structures. The role is a connector, not a replacement for established functions.

Participants learn how to work appropriately alongside:

• Employees and line managers
• Human Resources / People & Culture
• Occupational Health
• Employee Assistance Programmes and wellbeing services
• Health & Safety and organisational policy structures
• GPs, healthcare professionals and specialist services where referral or signposting is appropriate

The programme supports a multidisciplinary approach in which responsibilities are clear, escalation pathways are understood and the Health & Performance Lead knows where their role begins and ends. Following successful completion, they can help the organisation provide a recognised internal point of menopause knowledge, support managers, facilitate informed conversations, reinforce education, support policy implementation, identify organisational learning needs, facilitate appropriate referral and signposting, and support follow-up and review.

C104 is designed around application, not simply theory. It combines:

• Structured teaching
• Practical application
• Guided independent learning
• Real-world organisational case discussion
• Role-play and workplace communication practice
• Training-delivery practice
• Professional reflection

Participants work through realistic organisational scenarios involving the employee, manager, Health & Performance Lead, HR, Occupational Health and external professional supports. They develop confidence around what to say, what not to say, what questions to ask, what should be documented, when to refer or escalate, how to support managers, how to follow up and where their responsibility ends.

Flexible Learning: Saturday modules may be attended face-to-face in UCD or watched later as a recording. Tuesday evening online sessions must be attended live. Assessments and designated practical sessions require face-to-face attendance.

Our advisory network brings together specialist clinical insight and academic expertise to strengthen the quality, accuracy and integrity of our menopause education and workplace programmes.

Dr Ciara McKenna - Clinical Adviser

Co-founder of Rose Clinic Bray, GP and Menopause Specialist. Dr McKenna provides clinical insight and reviews relevant educational content to support medical accuracy, appropriate professional boundaries and clear signposting to specialist care.

Dr Aoife Nic Shamhráin - Clinical Adviser

Co-founder of Rose Clinic Bray, GP and Menopause Specialist. Dr Nic Shamhráin provides specialist clinical insight and reviews relevant content to support evidence-informed education, appropriate signposting and alignment with current menopause practice.

Dr Angela Hickey, PhD - Academic Adviser

Programme Director in Psychology at Griffith College Dublin, researcher and specialist in curriculum development, research and health-behaviour change. Dr Hickey supports the academic integrity, educational structure and quality of the Institute's programmes.

Meet our academic & clinical advisers →

Questions about the programme?

We welcome enquiries and are happy to discuss the programme, its suitability for your organisation or professional role, entry requirements, course structure and the support available to learners.

info@irishmenopauseinstitute.ie

087 297 2270 · 087 626 4028