Curriculum

Health and Social Care

| Health and Social Care
Due to the nature of the content studied across the units, this award prepares students for a career in both Health and Social Care settings. Health related fields include a wide range of careers such as Adult and Paediatric Nursing, Midwifery and Community Dieticians. The social careers include entry into the field of Education, Social Work or in a caring capacity with vulnerable adults. 
How will I study Health and Social Care? 

You will be assessed through the completion of 8 mandatory units, 4 internal assessments, 4 external assessments and 5 optional units. The completed vocational qualification is equivalent to 3 A Levels and comprises of a combination of coursework and examinations. Some units will have an element of work experience, this is a compulsory requirement which the college arranges, valuing student choice. The learning environment is pleasant and positive where active teaching approaches are deployed to include group work, presentations, debates, guest speakers and visits to Health and Social Care settings.

What will I study at Key Stage 5?

Studying for a BTEC National Diploma in Health and Social Care will allow you to draw on a range of disciplines, such as Sociology, Psychology, Biology, Health and Social Care Management. You will learn about a range of contemporary Health and Social Care issues. Each topic varies, introducing new and interesting concepts.

Assessment at Key Stage 5

BTEC Edexcel

Overview Focus
Unit 1 – Human Lifespan Development 
Written exam: 1 hour 30 minutes 
90 marks 
8% of the qualification 
  • Human growth and development through the life stages. 
  • Factors affecting human growth and development. 
  • Effects of ageing. 

 

Overview Focus
Unit 2 – Working in Health and Social Care 
Written exam: 1 hour 30 minutes 
80 marks 
12% of the qualification 
  • Roles and responsibilities of people who work in the health and social care sector. 
  • The roles of organisations in the health and social care sector. 
  • Working with people with specific needs in the health and social care sector. 

 

Overview Focus
Unit 3 – Anatomy & Physiology in H&SC 
Written exam: 1 hour 30 minutes 
90 marks 
12% of the qualification 
  • The structure and organisation of the human body. 
  • The structure and function of body systems. 
  • Medical research – how data is collected and used. 

 

Overview Focus
Unit 4 – Enquiries into current research in Health and Social Care 
Written exam: 3 hours 
65 marks 
12% of the qualification 
  • Types of issues where research is carried out in the health and social care sector. 
  • Research methods in health and social care. 
  • Carrying out and reviewing relevant secondary research into a contemporary health and social care issue. 

 

Overview Focus
Unit 5 – Meeting Individual Care and Support Needs 
Internal assessment 
90 GLH 
P/M/D awarded 
  • Examine principles, values and skills which underpin meeting the care and support needs of individuals. 
  • Examine the ethical issues involved when providing care and support to meet individual needs. 
  • Investigate the principles behind enabling individuals with care and support needs to overcome challenges. 
  • Investigate the roles of professionals and how they work together to provide the care and support necessary to meet individual needs. 

 

Overview Focus
Unit 6 – Work Experience in Health and Social Care 
Internal assessment 
60 GLH 
P/M/D awarded 
  • Examine the benefits of work experience in health and social care for own learning and development. 
  • Develop a work experience plan to support own learning and development 
  • Carry out work experience tasks to meet set objectives. 
  • Reflect on how work experience influences own personal and professional development. 

 

Overview Focus
Unit 7 – Principles of Safe Practice in Health and Social Care 
Internal assessment 
90 GLH 
P/M/D awarded 
  • Examine how a duty of care contributes to safe practice in health and social care settings. 
  • Understand how to recognise and respond to concerns about abuse and neglect in health and social care settings. 
  • Investigate the influence of health and safety legislation and policies in health and social care settings. 
  • Explore procedures and responsibilities to maintain health and safety and respond to accidents and emergencies in health and social care settings. 

 

Overview Focus
Unit 8 – Promoting Public Health 
Internal assessment 
90 GLH 
P/M/D awarded 
  • Examine strategies for developing public health policy to improve the health of individuals and the population. 
  • Examine the factors affecting health and the impact of addressing these factors to improve public health. 
  • Investigate how health is promoted to improve the health of the population. 
  • Investigate how health promotion encourages individuals to change their behaviour in relation to their own health. 

 

Overview Focus
Unit 11 – Psychological perspectives 
Internal assessment 
60 GLH 
P/M/D awarded 
  • Examine how psychological perspectives contribute to the understanding of human development and behaviour. 
  • Examine the contribution of psychological perspectives to the management and treatment of service users’ specific behaviours. 
  • Examine how psychological perspectives are applied in health and social care settings. 

 

Overview Focus
Unit 12 – Supporting Individuals with additional needs 
Internal assessment 
60 GLH 
P/M/D awarded 
  • Examine reasons why individuals may experience additional needs. 
  • Examine how to overcome the challenges to daily living faced by people with additional needs. 
  • Investigate current practice with respect to provision for individuals with additional needs. 

 

Overview Focus
Unit 14 – Physiological Disorders and their care 
Internal assessment 
60 GLH 
P/M/D awarded 
  • Examine how psychological perspectives contribute to the understanding of human development and behaviour 
  • Examine the contribution of psychological perspectives to the management and treatment of service users’ specific behaviours 
  • Examine how psychological perspectives are applied in health and social care settings. 

 

Overview Focus
Unit 17 – Caring for individuals with dementia 
Internal assessment 
60 GLH 
P/M/D awarded 
  • Examine the types, causes and symptoms of dementia 
  • Examine the effects of dementia on people who have the condition 
  • Investigate the concept of person-centred care for people who have dementia to maintain quality of life and wellbeing. 

 

Overview Focus
Unit 18 – Assessing Children’s development support needs 
Internal assessment 
60 GLH 
P/M/D awarded 
  • Understand patterns, principles and theories that contribute to an understanding of growth and development in children from birth to eight years 
  • Examine factors that may impact on children’s growth and development 
  • Explore how assessment is used to identify children’s stages of growth and development and their support needs. 
Enrichment 

The department offers an opportunity for students to partake in Sixth Form enrichment activities as well as attending mandatory placements in a variety of Health and Social Care settings. These include care homes, hospice centres, dementia specialist units and special needs provision. Students are able to take part in college-wide intersociety competitions as well as subject specific training such as CPR and Dementia friends. Intervention sessions to consolidate prior learning and ensure maximum progress, are available weekly on student study days.

Careers

Careers linked to the course include physiotherapy, paediatric nursing, healthcare, midwifery, residential and adult nursing, occupational therapy and speech and language therapy.