This is a nationally recognised qualification which is designed to recognise the role you have in the workplace and to give you credit for the activities you undertake there.  This qualification is to guide and assess the development of knowledge and skills relating to your work as a health and social care worker. This is the new NVQ in Health & Social Care which came into effect 1^st January 2011.

Who is it for?

The Diploma in Health and Social Care QCF Level 3 equivalent to the old NVQ 3 is for those working in the care sector benchmarking their level of competency in the workplace It will help employees to achieve a nationally recognised qualification that demonstrates they’ve attained a degree of ability which gives a vital baseline in their own personal development. This QCF course or also known as NVQ Diploma is applicable to anyone in the following job roles that hasn’t acquired any higher qualifications to level 3.

• Care Assistants, Support Workers, and key workers in residential settings
• Healthcare assistants and Support Workers in community and primary care environments
• Healthcare assistants and support workers in acute health environments
• Care assistants, support workers and key workers in domiciliary services
• Care assistants, support workers, key workers in day services
• Support workers in supported living projects
• Community-based care assistants, support workers and key workers, including those employed in specialist areas e.g. dementia, learning disabilities
• Personal assistants employed directly by the individual they support or by any their family members.
• Emerging new kinds of workers and multidisciplinary health job roles beyond traditional service limits and delivery methods.

You will be allocated a tutor who will help you through your learning.  You will also be allocated a QCF assessor/ NVQ Assessor who will assess your work and visit you at your workplace.

Qualification Structure and Units within this course.

In order to attain the Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care (Adults) for England; every learner needs acquire a minimum of 58 credits and would be able to choose from 3 pathways; generic pathway, dementia pathway, learning disability pathway. To achieve this they have to choose either of the following:

Generic Pathway

28 credits from the 9 mandatory units in Group A

A minimum of 2 credits and a maximum of 7 credits from the optional units in Group B

Minimum 23 credits from the optional units within Group C

OR

Dementia Pathway

28 credits from the 9 mandatory units in Group A

A minimum of 2 credits and a maximum of 7 credits from the optional units in Group B but must complete: DEM 301 Understand the process and experience of dementia.

Minimum 23 credits from the optional units in Group C but 1 of these have to be completed: DEM 304, DEM,312, or DEM 313

OR

Adults with the Learning Disabilities Pathway

28 credits from the 9 mandatory units in Group A

A minimum of 2 credits and a maximum of 7 credits from the optional units in Group B but must complete: LD 201 Understand the context of supporting and individual with learning disabilities

Minimum of 23 credits from the optional units in Group C but 1 of the following has to be completed: LD 302, LD 303.

Visit here to view a list of all units and topics within the Diploma in Health & Social Care Level 3.

Assessment Details
You will be assessed against the national standards and you will be required to demonstrate competence and knowledge for all areas of the course.
The assessor will give you personal tutorial support at pre-arranged times plus personal assessment achieved by using a a number of methods including observation at their place of work.

Eligibility Criteria

This is an opportunity for Healthcare Businesses and employers to access free training, so that their employees can be trained at NO COST to themselves or their employees.  Subject to eligibility criteria, the entire programme is fully-funded.

Duration

This depends on your prior knowledge level.  We find that most employees need 6-9 months spread over a number of learning hours.

Entry Requirements

This programme is for those in work or those who are in voluntary employment and want to gain the experience.  Free spaces are available now; to be sure you qualify, fill the request form below now for a quick response:

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This is a nationally recognised qualification which is designed to recognise the role you have in the workplace and to give you credit for the activities you undertake there.  This qualification is to guide and assess the development of knowledge and skills relating to your work as a health and social care worker. This is the new NVQ Diploma in Health and Social Care which came into effect 1^st January 2011.

Who is it for?

The Diploma in Health and Social Care QCF Level 2 is equivalent to the old NVQ 2 is for those working in the care sector benchmarking their level of competency in the workplace.  It helps employees to gain a nationally recognised qualification that shows that they have attained a level of ability which provides an important baseline in their own personal development. This QCF NVQ is applicable to anyone in the following job roles that hasn’t acquired any higher qualifications up to level 2.

• Care Assistants, Support Workers, and key workers in residential settings
• Healthcare assistants and Support Workers in community and primary care environments
• Healthcare assistants and support workers in acute health environments
• Care assistants, support workers and key workers in domiciliary services
• Care assistants, support workers, key workers in day services
• Support workers in supported living projects
• Community-based care assistants, support workers and key workers, including those employed in specialist areas e.g. dementia, learning disabilities
• Personal assistants employed directly by the individual they support or by any their family members.
• Emerging new types of workers and multidisciplinary health roles beyond traditional service limits and delivery methods.

You will be allocated a tutor who will help you through your learning.  You will also be allocated a QCF assessor/ NVQ Assessor who will assess your work and visit you at your workplace.

Qualification Structure and Units within this course.

To achieve the Level 2 Diploma in Health and Social Care (Adults) for England; Learners must achieve a minimum of 46 credits and would be able to choose from 3 pathways; generic pathway, dementia pathway, learning disability pathway. To do this they must achieve:

Generic Pathway

24 credits from the 9 mandatory units in Group A

A minimum of 2 credits and a maximum of 7 credits from the optional units in Group B

At least 15 credits from the optional units in Group C

OR

Dementia Pathway

24 credits from the 9 mandatory units in Group A

A minimum of 2 credits and a maximum of 7 credits from the optional units in Group B but must complete: DEM 201 Dementia Awareness

At least 15 credits from the optional units in Group C but one of the following must be completed: DEM 204, DEM 209, DEM 210 or DEM 211

OR

Adults with Learning Disabilities Pathway

24 credits from the 9 mandatory units in Group A

A minimum of 2 credits and a maximum of 7 credits from the optional units in Group B but must complete: LD 201 Understand the context of supporting and individual with learning disabilities

At least 15 credits from the optional units in Group C but one of the following must be completed: LD 202, LD 203.

Visit here to view a list of all units and topics within the Diploma in Health & Social Care Level 2.

Assessment Details

You will be assessed against the national standards and you will be required to demonstrate competence and knowledge for all areas of the QCF NVQ course.
The assessor will provide personal tutorial support at pre-arranged times plus personal assessment achieved through a variety of methods including observation in the workplace.

Eligibility Criteria

This is an opportunity for Healthcare Businesses and Employers to access free training, so that their employees can be trained at NO COST to themselves or their employees.  Subject to eligibility criteria, the entire programme is fully-funded.

Duration

This depends on your prior knowledge level.  We find that most employees need 4 to 6 months spread over a number of learning hours.

Entry Requirements

This programme is for those in work or those who are in voluntary employment and want to gain the experience.  Free spaces are available now; to be sure you qualify, fill the application form below for a fast process:

cforms contact form by delicious:days

What’s QCF all about?

A new system emerged since 1st January 2011 to replace the pre-existed National Qualifications Framework (NQF) commonly known as NVQ Level 2, Level 3, Level 4 & Level 5. This new system is referred to as the QCF – Qualifications and Credit Framework ;  from 1st April 2011 the NVQ Level 4 along with the Leadership & Management courses (LMC) have already been combined to create a new award referred to as the QCF Diploma Level 5.

QCF is the new framework for recognizing and accrediting the qualifications in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.  This Framework is in the midst of a big transformation of vocational qualifications.  The QCF framework has been created to provide simplicity and then make the entire vocational qualification system easier and a lot much easier to understand.   With the QCF, qualifications are now more relevant to employers, it meets their needs and it introduces flexibility for learners.

How does the QCF Diploma Work?

There exist 3 categories of qualifications within the QCF: Awards, Certificates and Diplomas.  Each unit within the QCF contains a credit value; one credit  is corresponding to 10 hours, here the learner knows the length of time is needed to finish a particular course.  Each unit will also have a level ranging between the entry Level 1 to Level 8; the higher levels represent how advanced a course is.

• Awards 1-12 credits
• Certificates 13 – 36 credits
• Diplomas 37 credits or more

With the QCF the learner can have an award at Level 1 or an award at Level 8. This is because the qualification type “Award, Certificate or Diploma” represents the size of a qualification, not level of difficulty.

Each QCF qualification title contains the following:

• The level of the qualification, which range from Level 1 – Level 8
• The size of the qualification, this could be either an Award, Certificate
• The content of the qualification is determined likewise.

Are you looking for work but no experience?  Are you already in work? The QCF will benefit you in the following ways:

1. It offers more flexibility; you could start with an award, certificate or move straight on to the diploma. Much wider range of units.
2. Easy access to information about the commitment and time needed to achieve the necessary qualification.  It will enable you plan your course around your commitments and responsibilities.
3. Allows you to gain credits at your own pace and combine them in a way that will help you reach your desired goals
4. Enables you to transfer credits between the various qualifications.  This ensures you don’t have to repeat courses undertaken already.

For an employer, the QCF framework have been created in such a way to make sure future qualifications allow a flexible procedure for meeting the various development needs within your workforce.

Learners could either go through the apprenticeship or the work based learning courses either way there is funding available for Level 2 and Level 3 NVQ Diploma; eligibility criteria applies however it is worth finding out if you qualify as a learner or as an employer you can get your staff funding for any of these QCF courses as they are vocational courses.

There are a number of industries to choose from:

1. Health and Social Care
2. Business and Administration
3. Beauty Therapy
4. Child Care
5. Customer Service
6. Distribution and Warehousing
7. Engineering and Technology
8. Hairdressing
   

You are welcome on these courses if:

• Still at school; need to combine vocational studies to maintain your job.
• Young people 16-19 years looking to do an apprentice course
• Adult learners 25 years and above
• Returning to work need to brush up your skills
• An employer looking to provide professional and career development for staff

Call us now on 07921100026 and we will get you on the appropriate course suitable for you; and more likely free for you if eligible.

You could tell us what you are looking for by filling the form below and we will get back to you within 72 hours.

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NVQs are usually not about going on courses, studying, or passing exams. They’re about assessment of competence against a nationally recognized standard. It offers an opportunity for people, who have been doing a good job for years, to generally be recognized for their competence and get a rewarding qualification.

Get help, solution, support and resources you need to complete your NVQ in health and social care (adults, children and young people) awards easily. Free online support available for candidates 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

NVQ 2 health and social care, answers to nvq 3

NVQ 3 Units, NVQ 3 Resources, NVQ 3 Answers, NVQ 3 in care

The term “work product” within NVQ refers to evidence produced by the candidate themselves during work practice or during the duration of the course. Work products could be care plans, risk assessments, fluid charts, daily reports, communication aids, minutes from meetings, leaflets, rotas and so on. The exact nature of this evidence will depend on what you do at work. Care must however be taken to maintain confidentiality when using work products. All names and personal details need to be removed from the work products before you place them in your portfolio. Depending on your assessor, you may create a separate file to put work products that don’t have to be in your portfolio. Your assessor can view the original copy and complete a form to testify that she/he has viewed the work product stating the specific criteria within the unit you have provided evidence for. It is good practice for your assessor to signpost where the evidence can be found in the workplace and then leave it there. Note that a blank form alone does not demonstrate competence or knowledge as the evidence has to be reliable and authentic that the work product is for the candidate.

To ensure authenticity, the products may need to be countersigned by a person in a position of responsibility who is able to vouch that the products are all your unaided work.

Examples of work products which you can provide and the corresponding units they can be linked to;

Care Plan – HSC 21a, HSC 214, HSC 213, HSC 328, HSC 330

Completed Incident form – HSC 22c, HSC 32c

Completed Accident Form – HSC 22c

Health & Safety checks/ Maintenance book – HSC 22

Hot water temperature book – HSC 22

Fire checks record book – HSC22

Fire drill record – HSC 22

Risk assessments – HSC 22, HSC 24c, HSC 218, HSC 223, HSC 335, HSC360

Fluid Charts – HSC 214, HSC 213

Menu Book – HSC 214, HSC 213

Supervision Notes/records – HSC 23, HSC 33

You can also use these work products to reference other units depending on the contents of what you have completed on the forms.

Holistic Approach to Reflective Accounts.

Writing a single reflective account for 3 or 4 units within your NVQ course is good practice rather than writing a reflective account for each unit which may require you write 6 separate accounts at Level 2 or 8 separate accounts at Level 3.

The holistic approach will save you time as it will result in you writing an average of 2 to 3 reflective accounts for the whole NVQ.

What does Holistic mean?

This is related to the word holism taken from a Greek word holos meaning all, entire or total, therefore holistic is the study of the whole instead of a separation into parts. This means a holistic reflective account can be reflections on the whole of your job which can be included into a singular account which will eventually spread across a range of your units within the NVQ.

Your assessor will expect you to gather evidence holistically while using any method of assessment e.g. reflective accounts, witness testimonies, written questions or direct observations. Just as your assessor would plan to observe you holistically i.e. across a number of units at the same time and not one observation per unit, she or he will expect to watch you at work carry out different activities that can be referenced to more than one unit.

For example during one visit agreed and planned appropriately, your assessor can observe you use effective communication skills, access and update documents correctly, follow health and safety procedures and handle emergency situations appropriately. Your assessor may also observe you use moving and handling skills to reposition an individual, administer medication and also protect individuals from harm, danger or abuse. This is evidence of competence cutting across about 4 or 5 units, you should also write your reflections in this manner attempting to cover more than one unit depending on the shift you are writing about or the range of activities that was carried out. Remember your reflection ought to be in past tense and not present tense, therefore you cannot use expressions such as “I will” rather you must say “I did”.

It has been observed that many candidates are advised by their assessors to write one reflective account per unit; although this is not good practice it seems to be easier for the candidate to produce sufficient evidence for the performance criteria within the units. This is why NVQ Made Simple has products to address this style of gathering evidence however once you have the guides to any unit you can still write holistically to reduce the number of reflective accounts and save time.

I suggest you write a rough account covering a complete shift and all that you did, or you can write an account that spreads over weeks or months. See how many of your units you have touched and then use the explanations to the performance criteria in our reflective account resources to expand each paragraph and ensure you reference your work accordingly.

You will discover that your account will be robust and sufficient enough to cover a lot of your elements and performance criteria and your assessor will be pleased with your work.

Now look at the holistic reflective account below; can you tell why it is not sufficient enough for HSC31, HSC32, HSC33, HSC35 and HSC335? These are the 5 units the candidate intended to cover.

Share with us using the comment box below how she could have expanded this reflection to show her competence.

Candidate Evidence Record

NVQ Title: Health and Social Care Level 3

NVQ Unit: HSC31, 32, 33, 35,335,

Name : Abiodun O

Use this form to record details of activities (tick as appropriate)        

Observed by your assessor   ¨      self reflective accounts          -      Work Product              ¨

Seen by a witness                   ¨      Project/Assignment              ¨          APL                            ¨

It is important that an healthcare worker is competent with the use of different moving and handling aids as well as familiar with various moving techniques to ensure the safety of yourself and the individual. Based on the risk assessment carried out and the report gathered; recommendations of how best to move an individual should be found in the client’s or patient’s care plan. 

Below are listed few equipments:

• Hoist
• Transfer board
• Slide sheet
• Slide board
• Turn disc
• Monkey pole 
• Lifting handle
• Handling belt
• Patient hand block.
• Wheelchair
• Elk 

Do you know how to use all these equipment listed above? 

Watch the Different Videos below to understand How to use them Safely.

ELK – Used for Lifting a fallen person.

[See post to watch Flash video]

HOIST – Mobile hoist/ceiling hoist for home care.

TRANSFER BELT – Patient Turning and Transfers.

SLIDING BOARD – Transfer Techniques using the sliding board.

Tips on Moving Someone from the Bed to a Chair.

Tips on Moving Someone Sit up in Bed.

Gathering evidence for HSC223 & HSC360 could involve writing a reflective account of how you have prepared the individual and the environment for moving and positioning and how you carried out the actual movement from one place to another. 

For guides to write a good reflective account visit on the links below: 

http://www.nvqmadesimple.com/nvq-2/reflective-account-samples/

http://www.nvqmadesimple.com/nvq-3/reflective-account-samples/

handling equipment, and handling equipment, and handling aids, and handling mobility aids, and safe handling

The job role of a healthcare worker may include supporting patients or individuals to move from one position to another. An individual may be unable to move or require support for various reasons. Some common reasons include: physical disabilities, old age leading to feeble limbs, accidents resulting in immobility. Depending on the care group you work with, you may need to move individuals more often or less frequently. Either way it is important you attend a moving and handling training to acquire the skills to move people safely.

Your employer will ensure you are trained before you are allowed to move individuals either from their bed to a chair, their bed to a wheelchair or maybe just supporting individuals to change their position in bed to enable them to sit, change their clothing or give assistance with toileting or walk alongside the patient to another location. Correct techniques and the use of equipments have been introduced over the years and these are regularly updated.

The Units HSC223 at Level 2 and Unit HSC360 at Level 3 within the NVQ in health and social care focus mainly on your competence in moving and positioning individuals safely. These units would be appropriate for you if your job role involves moving and handling individuals.

Spinal Awareness and Back Injury. 

If you are new to care work it is important that you are aware of the consequences of not using correct and safe moving and handling equipments and techniques. 

See below some data and statistics that have been gathered in the past:
 

• The largest cause of accidents at work is 37% Manual Handling (HSE 2005). Interpreted another way – the overall figure of 37% means that: 86000 people are absent daily 26,500,000 working days are lost annually £1,000,000,000 (£1bn) is lost in production, sickness benefit and medical costs. In terms of suffering each injury results in an averageof 20 days off work – some never fully recover. Fourout of five people suffer with back related problems atsome time – the risk is greater after the age of 30.
• It’s been observed that Neutral Spinal position during all Moving and Handling can reduce risk of injury by up to 40%! The lumbar spine accounts for about 80% of all injuries
• The 3 commonest sites of injury to employees are: Disc injuries – Bulge and hernia (slipped) Muscular and ligament – Postural Supporters v Load Bearers (Facet) Joint Injury – Classic “wear and tear” injury
• Since 1996, 449 reports of faulty equipment to Medical Devices Agency: 4 led to a fatality! 

Facts About Back Injury

Did you know that…?

• Back Injuries are the second leading cause of missed workdays.
• Many of the injuries involve sprains and strains caused by poor posture often repeated over a long period of time. Indeed a large proportion of manual handling injuries are the result of the cumulative “wear and tear” of poor postures.
• Your back is at work 24 hours a day. It has to hold up your entire body and support most of your weight.
• Your back is an incredible piece of engineering, but like any piece of equipment it needs to be properly cared for if it is to perform without problems.
• Many back problems stem from a lack of exercise and poor posture, both inside and outside the workplace.
• Unaccustomed exercise or activity can cause back pain. E.g. hours spent gardening, decorating or taking up a sport when you are unfit.
• Fortunately you can prevent many back injuries by learning the best way to: SIT, STAND and LIFT. 

There are principles to follow to ensure you protect yourself, colleagues and your clients from back injuries or any other kinds of injuries attached to poor moving and handling procedures.  Consider the list below-

Principles of Safe Patient Handling

• ALWAYS check the care plan and safety guidelines
• NEVER manually lift a client/ Patient unless you have to
• ASSESS the client / patient and check for any changes in their condition
• PLAN the task adequately before you start moving them
• EXPLAIN what you are going to do  and obtain their cooperation and consent
•  ALWAYS use the appropriate handling equipment when necessary
• Know and accept your own handling ABILITY, and that of  your colleagues
• PREPARE the handling area and watch out for hazards
• Give CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS to client/patient and other carers
•  Use  RHYTHM and TIMING “ ready?…..(yes)……..set?……move and move smoothly to avoid jerky movements
• DO NOT “save” falling people (it’s dangerous!) – slide them to the floor
• Your FEET should be apart, in the direction of movement, with your weight balanced between them.
• Take a firm, comfortable HANDHOLD, keeping elbows close to your body
•  Always LEAN IN THE DIRECTION you are pulling, pushing or sliding
• Use your BODY WEIGHT to move the patient
• BEND YOUR KNEES not your back, and look forward to help keep your back naturally straight
• AVOID TWISTING your trunk, move your feet instead 

Most importantly Always Get Help When You Need It !!! 

The Units HSC223 at Level 2 and Unit HSC360 at Level 3 within the NVQ in health and social care focus mainly on your competence in moving and positioning individuals safely.

Visit the links below for relevant resources :

http://www.nvqmadesimple.com/nvq-2/hsc-218-hsc-223/

http://www.nvqmadesimple.com/nvq-3/hsc-358-hsc-360/

The act of effective interaction between individuals can be obtained by spoken words or by other means. For communication to occur there has to be at least two people involved. The ability to communicate effectively and efficiently is one of the most important skills that can be gained by a healthcare professional.

What is Communication?

In a simple definition, communication is the process of sending or receiving messages between two or more individuals.

Effective communication is more than just talking, and is essential for the well-being of the individuals you care for.It includes body language, gestures, facial expressions, positioning and appearance.It is important to be aware of non-verbal communication when interacting with your individuals at work.

It is impossible to do without communication in health and social care, we have many reasons to communicate and it is essential communication is done effectively without misunderstanding others or being misunderstood. We communicate with:

• Patients, residents, clients,
• Health care professionals,
• Managers and supervisors,
• Family and friends.

• Speech difficulties due to disabilities’ or illness e.g. Dementia, stroke
• Deafness
• Poor Sight
• Noisy Environment
• Poor Cognitive Skills e.g. learning disabilities
• Difference in Language spoken