Taught in: Year 12 - 13
Course Title: Health and Social Care 
Exam Board: Pearson  
Qualification: BTEC National Level 3 Extended Certificate  

About the course 

Are you interested in a career in the health and social care sector? Then the BTEC Health and Social Care Level 3 course is for you! 

This study programme is a two-year course and is equivalent to one A Level. It consists of three mandatory units and one optional unit. It has been designed to support progression to higher education and employment. This course aims to provide an introduction the sector. It is for learners who are interested in learning about the health and social care sector as part of a balanced study programme. The qualification supports access to a range of higher education courses possibly, but not exclusively, in health and social care, if taken alongside further Level 3 qualifications. 

The units you will be studying are: 

• Human Lifespan Development
• Working in Health and Social Care
• Meeting Individual Care and Support Needs
• Supporting Individuals with Additional Needs

Structure 

Unit 1:  Human Lifespan Development  

This unit looks at the physical, intellectual, emotional and social development across the human lifespan, and the factors affecting development and the effects of ageing. It helps learners develop a knowledge base for working with people in every stage of their lives. Key aspects of growth and development are explored, and the experience of health and wellbeing is considered. 

Contribution to final grade: 25% 

How it is assessed: 1 ½ hour written exam 

Unit 2:  Working in Health and Social Care

This unit will help provide an understanding of what it is like to work in the health and social care sector. When working for an organisation in this sector, you will have important responsibilities that you need to understand and carry out. These include maintaining the safety of and safeguarding individuals with health and social care needs, making sure that you properly handle their personal information and preventing discrimination towards them. You will need to understand how you will be accountable both to these individuals and the regulatory bodies that represent people who work in the health and social care sector. It is necessary for you to understand how your work will be monitored when you carry out a specific role such as nurse or social worker.

Contribution to final grade: 33%

How it is assessed: 1 ½ hour written exam  

Unit 5:  Meeting Individual Care and Support Needs

In this unit, you will learn about the values and principles of meeting care and support needs and look at some of the ethical issues that arise when personalising care. You will examine factors that can impact the professionals who provide the care and support, and the challenges that must be overcome to allow access to good quality care and health services. You will explore the different methods used by professionals across all care services. You will reflect on these methods when you consider the importance of multi-agency working in providing a package of care and support that meets all the needs of individuals. To complete the assessment task within this unit, you will need to draw on your own learning from across your programme.

Contribution to final grade:  25%

How it is assessed: Internal Assessment 

Unit 12:  Supporting Individuals with Additional Needs

While working in health and social care, you may care for a full range of individuals who have additional needs. Individuals with these additional needs have a right to receive the best quality care and support. This unit aims to give you specialist knowledge that can be crucial to ensuring that those with additional needs meet their full potential. As a practitioner in a health or social care environment, you will be responsible for ensuring that everyone in your care has the same opportunities. Additional needs are essentially about each person’s uniqueness and wellbeing rather than about discrimination, and it will be your job to ensure that you treat people equally, respect diversity and foster an environment with high expectations. In this unit, you will explore the range of additional needs that are faced by individuals, considering the effects these needs have on their wellbeing, rights and access.

Contribution to final grade: 17%  

How it is assessed: Internally assessed.  

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