Undergraduate Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social care

Being able to communicate effectively is a prerequisite for any positive interaction within the health and social care sector, be this with a service user, carer, colleague or external agency. Within the health and social care sector there are methods of communication that learners need to be able to use correctly and effectively. In this unit learners will look at the variety of communication methods used within health and social care practice. They will outline the principles of effective communication and how to identify and overcome common barriers to effective communication. Learners will become familiar with the different methods of oral and written communication used, such as handing over information to colleagues face-to-face or by telephone and the benefits and potential weaknesses of each. They will also learn how to produce and present an oral presentation, which is a very useful skill within the health and social care sector. They will also cover how to present written information in a formal way via care plans, reports etc. Finally, learners will look at the range of ICT innovations within the health and social care sector by which service user information can be communicated within the team and to external partners in the individual’s care. This will include issues around data protection and confidentiality.

Promoting health is a responsibility of everyone who works in health and social care. It is also an important government agenda. So, how do we as individuals promote the health of our service users and the government promote health within the wider population? In this unit learners will look at how the government, through organisations such as Public Health England, tries to improve the health of the population, including the policies and activities the government undertakes to improve the health of the nation. Learners will also look at their role in monitoring the population’s health, including the factors can affect health and the government’s role in trying to reduce these factors. From an individual service user’s view, learners will examine the role of health promotion and some common approaches and models used by practitioners to promote and protect the health of the communities they serve. Learners will explore how to run a small health campaign and how to overcome barriers to participation. It is important that everyone working in health and social care sectors supports service users to maintain as healthy a lifestyle as possible to minimise the development of future health conditions., including service users with long-term conditions.

Within this unit learners will look at the role of person-centred care in interactions with service users. They will also consider other models of care delivery and their strengths and weaknesses in delivering care to meet the needs of different populations of service users. Delivering high quality care is not always easy and learners will examine the potential ethical issues that could arise and how these could be dealt with. Learners will develop an understanding of the difficulties of balancing individual autonomy and minimising potential risk to vulnerable service users. Learners will consider relevant health and social care legislation that impacts on both those delivering care and individuals receiving care. The role of government departments and other agencies in producing legislation and guidance and how this affects local policies, procedures and care delivery will be covered.

Diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes, is a growing healthcare issue in the UK. Many service users will have diabetes and the associated complications associated with it. This can seriously affect quality of life and, in some cases, can lead to the need for limb amputation causing enormous physical and psychological challenges for the service user. In this unit learners will develop an understanding of the physiology behind the condition, associated complications and associated treatment and care needs.

Many service users that health and social care workers care for may have had a stroke – or more correctly a cerebrovascular accident. It is important to know the causes and effects of the condition to provide quality care. In this unit, learners will examine the types of cerebrovascular accident (CVA) and the symptoms displayed, including mobility and speech and swallowing problems. They will also cover the diagnostic tools utilised when identifying the cause of the CVA. Learners will look at the role of acute care in maximising a positive outcome and the longer-term treatment supplied by the rehabilitation team. They will examine the measures that could reduce the incidence of CVA, as well as looking at support available for both those following a CVA and their family. This will include aids to communication and the benefit of specialised stroke units in achieving positive outcomes.