Course at a glance
Introduction
This Level 3 Course in Health and Social Care is designed to provide an introduction to those students who have some experience or understanding of working in an applied Health and/or Social Care setting and may be considering taking a formal entry qualification in a related field such as Nursing or Social Work. The College will provide you with the resources necessary to complete the course and will also provide you with tutor support. Tutors have all been specially selected for their knowledge and understanding of your particular area of study and have experience in Distance Learning support.
The Course will combine practical understanding of health and social care practice and also theoretical knowledge and understanding gained from studying the course material (and indeed further reading). Topics touched upon in the Course will cover diverse topics such as human biology, social aspects of health and well-being, community and applied health. Students will be encouraged to explore issues from a contextualised approach that by Law covers legislative frameworks and ability to access care. Students are encouraged to develop self reflection and understanding during their Course of study which will assist them in their current workplace to develop skills which will assist them when considering a career in their chosen topic of study. Research skills are also taught as part of the Course as is the ability to analyse data produced by Health and Public Research Bodies.
Students are required to pass two marked assignments and this will determine the award of the Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care. The Assignments will be expected to be approximately 3000 words in total and one will be completed by the mid point of the Course and one at the end of the Course. Assignments must be written by the student themselves and work that has been copied and pasted into the assignment will not be accepted as all work has to be screened for Plagiarism.
The completed assignments will be marked online by a course tutor and feedback on performance will be provided. The assignment will either be graded pass or fail and if your assignment is marked fail then you will be provided with further guidance to assist you to pass in the next submission. Tutor support will be provided throughout your Course of study and you are encouraged to make contact with your Tutor at the earliest possible opportunity as this will assist you develop your understanding and knowledge of the topic.
The Assessment will assess:
- Theoretical knowledge and understanding of theories that are relevant to Health and Social Care.
- Practical Applications (you will be required to provide practice examples from applied health or social care settings).
- Integrating theory into practice (this will combine theory with applied practice examples)
The Course duration is one year and students study at home at their own pace using our virtual learning environment. The course offers flexible delivery so that the more time you can allocate to your studies the sooner you can complete the Course. Upon enrolment you will be provided with all the necessary materials to complete the Course and you are free to study as often as you wish. Progression from Level 3 can assist in career development, continued professional development, personal development and provision of basis for further study. On successful completion of this Course you become eligible for Level 5 study at Oxford Distance Learning and can discuss this with student services at any point during the progression of your Course.
Accredited Level 3 Health + Social Care Diploma Entry Requirement
Entry to this Accredited Level 3 Health + Social Care Diploma requires that potential students have gained GCSE/IGCSE or equivalent qualifications and have, good English oral, reading and writing skills.
Advice on enrolment and guidance of prior learning (APL) can be obtained through out contact centre. The course is a rolling programme and can be started at any point in the year. Successful students can go on to Higher Education, including remaining as students at OLC to complete courses in our portfolio of higher awards.
All students must be aged 16 or over.
Assessment
The coursework is assessed through continuous assessment with no formal exit examinations.
Study Hours
Approximately: 200 hours of personal study time for the entire course is recommended. All of which is supported by the OLC Course Tutor, who we greatly encourage students to access support from throughout their course.
Quality Assurance
This course has been developed by the College’s professional team of tutors to meet the needs of sector based employers and employees. It is also part of the College’s validated level three Diplomas’, recognised internationally, as verified and moderated Centre for Interactive Education (CIE Global). Further details of our accreditations are provided on our website.
Accredited Level 3 Health + Social Care Diploma Course Length
1 Year.
Awarding Body
Accredited Level 3 Health + Social Care Diploma Course Content
Accredited Level 3 Health + Social Care Diploma Module 1 – Human Growth and Development throughout the lifespan
The Course takes a life span approach to human development and will examine development at different points throughout the life span. Students will study the important biological, social and emotional aspects that can impact upon human development. We consider ‘normative’ measurements of health and well-being and how these can be useful indicators of health and well-being but may also be considered problematic if expectations are not met.
Accredited Level 3 Health + Social Care Diploma Module 2 – Facilitating Communication Within Health and Social Care Settings (Part one)
Health and Social Care Workers are dealing with human beings every single day of their working lives and this can be demanding for both client and practitioner. Effective communication is important if there is to be a positive outcome in terms of ‘care values’. Different forms of communication are explored which includes verbal, non verbal, language, confidentiality and listening skills. In this section of the Course we examine the way that communication can break down and examine strategies that can enhance communication when delivering services.
Accredited Level 3 Health + Social Care Diploma Module 3 – Facilitating Communication Within Health and Social Care Settings (Part two)
Standards of care differ because of barriers such as language, culture, physical and mental illness and access to care can be impeded because of these factors. This issue examines care barriers whilst also examining important issues such as human rights, legislation that impacts upon care provision and how a positive care experience can be provided to overcome barriers that may make providing such an experience a challenge.
Accredited Level 3 Health + Social Care Diploma Module 4 – Focus on Social Issues
Health and well-being can be affected by the kind of environments that we mix in and the demands made upon us by others. In this issue we examine relationships, social class, gender issues and the area in which we live to examine how they may impact on the type of Care we are provided. We examine the Legislative Practices surrounding meeting Care Needs and assess whether they actually improve or impede the process of Care.
Accredited Level 3 Health + Social Care Diploma Module 5 – Physical, Social and Emotional aspects of Health
Health can also be impacted by our emotional state and in this topic we examine issues such as marital status of individuals, different environmental demands, issues related to social class and lifestyle choices made by individuals that can impact upon a positive or indeed negative care experience. We also examine personal barriers to the provision of care.
Accredited Level 3 Health + Social Care Diploma Module 6 – The Provision and Role of Public Health, Health Promotion and Epidemiology
Health and Social Care is not provided in a vacuum but has developed as a consequence of historical and legislative reform. This idea is developed in this module and we examine how care is influenced by issues such as legislative reform, budgetary restraints and how this impacts upon individuals who are providing care within an applied social or health setting. We examine how we can improve Public Health so that people can maximise their health by adopting positive strategies that can keep them healthy into old age. We also examine Health Statistics across different populations and countries to try and examine how disease is manifested in different areas, regions and Countries.
Accredited Level 3 Health + Social Care Diploma Module 7 – Strategies designed to prevent the spread of disease
This module develops the theme of the last Unit as we examine Public Health in greater details to examine ways in which organisations try to improve the health and well-being through campaigns designed to improve their well-being. However, progress can be impeded because of the way in which different people define ‘health’ and in this module we examine how Organisations such as the United Nations develop strategies to improve health across national boundaries. We examine issues such as how successful Health Prevention Campaigns actually are and indeed where improvements still need to be targeted.
Accredited Level 3 Health + Social Care Diploma Module 8 – Health and disease
In this module we examine strategies that are used to prevent and support health and prevent disease. The diagnosis and treatment of conditions is also examined as are prevention strategies to support well-being.
Accredited Level 3 Health + Social Care Diploma Module 9 – Research in Health and Social Care
This module examines the techniques used by epidemiologists to measure and define health care statistics across different regions and indeed countries. The importance of scientific, practice based research is examined and the relevance of this to public policy and care provision in the future is discussed. The different methods of data collection are discussed and students are encouraged to examine their strengths and weaknesses. This Unit encourages students to adopt a questioning approach to health and social care statistics and to examine local areas and regions in greater detail in relation to the spread and control of disease.
Accredited Level 3 Health + Social Care Diploma Module 10 – Psychology of Health and Social Care.
Care does not occur in a social vacuum and people work in Health and Social Care teams. In this module we examine communication in greater detail especially team and group working to consider situations where individuals and indeed groups can assist or indeed impede health and social care practice. Various psychological theories are examined in this module and issues such as communication, problem solving and how study of the different psychological approaches may assist care delivery are discussed.
Progression
This Accredited Level 3 Health + Social Care Diploma can be used to gain entry to a Level 4 Diploma or higher.
