About 3 million people in the UK work in health and social care. In healthcare, this includes jobs such as doctors, pharmacists, nurses, midwives, healthcare assistants and administrators, while social care roles include care assistants, social workers, occupational therapists and counsellors. Demand for both health and social care is likely to continue to rise – the government anticipates that there will be another one million jobs required in the next 10 years, so it is sure to continue to play a key role in UK society, and the demand for people to fill these vital jobs will increase.

This course gives students the opportunity to study how people grow and develop over the course of their lives, from infancy to old age, and the factors that may affect this, such as major life-changing events like marriage or parenthood. students will learn how people adapt to these changes as well as the types of support available to help them. Students will also learn about the different health and social care services, and about ‘care values’ and their importance in making sure that the people who use these services get the care they need. Students will be able to demonstrate these care values practically. You will develop skills in interpreting data about someone’s state of health in order to design a plan that will allow them to improve their health and wellbeing.

This BTEC qualification is the same size and level as a GCSE, and is aimed at everyone who wants to find out more about health and social care. This course will give students the opportunity to develop skills, knowledge and techniques, and to review their own performance in demonstrating ‘care values’.

When students have completed this qualification, students will have developed a practical understanding of the health and social care sector. Because students will be building useful skills not generally covered in GCSE courses, they will have a better understanding of whether this is an area they want to continue to study. This course will also help students develop transferable skills and knowledge, such as self-evaluation and research skills, which will benefit them wherever they progress to next.