Health and Social Care (4222)

Last Updated: 10 May 2022
These qualifications are designed to equip learners with the skills and knowledge needed to care for others in a broad range of health or social care settings.

A Diploma in Health and Social Care is flexible to suit all fields of health and social care. Learners can select a pathway that suits their role - for example, working with people with a learning disability, people with dementia or children and young people.

This is the main qualification required by the Quality Care Commission in England and the Care Councils in Wales and Northern Ireland.


Level 3 Diploma in Health & Social Care (Adults) for England UCAS tariff

Grade

New Tariff points

P

32



These are the recognised qualifications for care workers and senior care workers in health and social care.
To take the Level 3 qualification, you must be working in a care setting already. For the Level 2 qualification, you may have no previous experience, or you might be working in care and want recognition for your current skills.

Care Certificate mapping-Level 2 Diploma mandatory units: to access the document, developed to support assessors, please visit the documents tab.

Available to deliver in the following:
  • England
  • Wales – please check QiW website for available funding
  • Northern Ireland
  • International

Interested in delivering this qualification?

Find out more about how to become an approved City & Guilds centre or fill out our online customer application form

General Information

What Is Involved In Studying This Course?
While completing this qualification, you'll cover topics like:

•the role of a health and social care worker
•health and safety
•equality and inclusion
•personal development.
You'll also cover specific skills and knowledge for the options you choose. This may include:

•administering medication
•supporting people with disabilities
•working with babies and young children
•helping people to eat and drink.
To gain these qualifications, you need to show you've got a particular set of skills. You will work with your training provider to review your current skills and find the best way to gain new ones - perhaps by studying, or by trying new things at work.

These qualifications are assessed at work or in a simulated workplace. For each unit, your assessor will watch and asks questions as you perform a task, or will look at a portfolio of work that you've built as formal evidence of your learning. Then they confirm you've got the skills to do the job well.

Which level is right for me?

Level 2
You are a care worker or want to get your first care job. If you're already working in care, you probably work mainly under supervision. You want to increase your skills and take on more responsibility.

This level is suitable for:

•Healthcare assistants/Support workers
•Care workers/Assistants/Key workers/Support workers
•Personal assistants.
Level 3
You're a care worker, and you have some responsibility in your workplace. You sometimes work without supervision. You want to develop or demonstrate your skills, perhaps to become a senior care worker.
This level is suitable for:

•Senior healthcare assistants/Support workers
•Senior care workers/Assistants/Key workers/Support workers
•Personal assistants.
Both qualifications might also suit emerging new types of workers and multi-disciplinary health roles crossing traditional service barriers and delivery models.
What Careers Can This Lead To?

This qualification can help you succeed in a wide range of healthcare settings, such as:

•residential care
•community and primary care
•acute health environments (eg hospitals)
•domiciliary services (home care/home help)
•supported living projects
•community-based care
•private care for a person or family.
You might also be interested in these qualifications:

•Certificate in Working in the Health Sector (3176)
•Certificate in Mental Health (3061)
•Promoting the Mental Health and Well Being of Older People (3062)
•Certificate/Diploma for the Children and Young People's Workforce (4227)
•Diploma in Leadership in Health and Social Care (4222).

What Is Involved With Delivering This Course?

You can deliver the Level 2 qualification in college or in the workplace. Assessment must be in the workplace. The Level 3 qualification must be workplace-based in a health or social care setting.

To deliver these diplomas, you need qualified members of staff - you can train internal members of staff or recruit specially.

You will also need to make sure learners have access to a workplace setting.

To find all the resource requirements, download the qualification handbook from the centre documents section.

You can get automatic approval if you currently offer the NVQ in Health and Social Care (3172) or the Certificate in Health and Social Care (3179).
Download the form for automatic/fast-track approval from the additional documents section.

 

Level 2

Level 2 will suit you if you are a care worker or want to get your first care job. If you're already working in care, you probably work mainly under supervision. You want to increase your skills and take on more responsibility.

You complete nine core units at level 2:

  • Introduction to communication in health, social care or children's and young people's settings
  • Introduction to personal development in health, social care or children's and young people's settings
  • Introduction to equality and inclusion in health, social care or children's and young people's settings
  • Principles of safeguarding and protection in health and social care
  • The role of the health and social care worker
  • Implement person-centred approaches in health and social care
  • Contribute to health and safety in health and social care
  • Handle information in health and social care settings
  • Introduction to duty of care in health, social care or children's and young people's settings.

If you're learning in Wales you complete one more core unit:

  • Introductory awareness of sensory loss.

You also choose optional units from a range to suit your career plans. Units you might choose include:

  • Causes and spread of infection
  • Understand the impact of acquired brain injury on individuals
  • Approaches to enable rights and choices for individuals with dementia while minimising risks.

For a full list of units, download the qualification handbook from the centre documents section.

What Careers Can This Lead To?

This qualification can help you succeed in a wide range of healthcare settings, such as:

  • residential care
  • community and primary care
  • acute health environments (eg hospitals)
  • domiciliary services (home care / home help)
  • supported living projects
  • community-based care
  • private care for a person or family.
Level 2 Diploma in Health and Social Care (Adults) for Wales and Northern Ireland (4222-22)
Last Registration Date: 31 Aug 2019 Supportive services: SmartScreen Learning Assistant
Closed for registrations

Level 2 Diploma in Health and Social Care (Adults) for Wales and Northern Ireland

  • Accreditation No: 501/1260/0 This is a reference number related to UK accreditation framework
  • Type: Credit based qualification This is categorisation to help define qualification attributes e.g. type of assessment
  • Credits: 46 Credits are a measure of the size of the qualification
  • Guided Learning Hours: 330 - 388 This is the average contact time a centre would typically commit
  • Total Qualification Time: 460 The total time for the qualification
  • Key Stage: Data unavailable This shows the equivalent Key Stage level.
  • Last Certification: 31/08/2022 This is the last date that a certificate can be issued
  • Qualification fees in the UK: TBC, please speak to your Account Manager for further information Our typical price is the one that is most often paid by a centre for a completed learner. Some prices are made up of multiple charging points so action like taking difference units or specialisms to complete and resitting assessments may mean the cost for some learners differs.

Level 3

One or more pathways within this qualification has been approved by the DfE to appear in the 2016 Performance Tables. To review the qualifications approved please click here.

Level 3 is ideal if you're a care worker, and you have some responsibility in your workplace. You sometimes work without supervision. You want to develop or demonstrate your skills, perhaps to become a senior care worker.

There are two pathways available at level 3:

  • Diploma in Health and Social Care (Children and Young People)
  • Diploma in Health and Social Care (Adults).

Depending on the pathway you choose, you complete either nine (Adults) or fourteen (Children and Young People) core units from a range, among them:

  • Promote equality and inclusion in health, social care or children's and young people's settings
  • Assessment and planning with children and young people
  • Promote person-centred approaches in health and social care.

You also choose optional units that suit your career plans. Units you might choose include:

  • Work with babies and young children to promote their development and learning.
  • Purpose and principles of independent advocacy
  • Support individuals to access education, training or employment.

For a full list of units, download the qualification handbook from the centre documents section.

What Careers Can This Lead To?

This qualification can help you succeed in a wide range of healthcare settings, such as:

  • residential care
  • community and primary care
  • acute health environments (eg hospitals)
  • domiciliary services (home care / home help)
  • supported living projects
  • community-based care
  • private care for a person or family.
Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care (Adults) for Wales and Northern Ireland (4222-32)
Last Registration Date: 31 Aug 2019 Supportive services: Learning Assistant
Closed for registrations

Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care (Adults) for Wales and Northern Ireland

  • Accreditation No: 501/1200/4 This is a reference number related to UK accreditation framework
  • Type: Credit based qualification This is categorisation to help define qualification attributes e.g. type of assessment
  • Credits: 58 Credits are a measure of the size of the qualification
  • Guided Learning Hours: 329 - 416 This is the average contact time a centre would typically commit
  • Total Qualification Time: 580 The total time for the qualification
  • Key Stage: Data unavailable This shows the equivalent Key Stage level.
  • Last Certification: 31/08/2022 This is the last date that a certificate can be issued
  • Qualification fees in the UK: TBC, please speak to your Account Manager for further information Our typical price is the one that is most often paid by a centre for a completed learner. Some prices are made up of multiple charging points so action like taking difference units or specialisms to complete and resitting assessments may mean the cost for some learners differs.
Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care (Children and Young People) for Wales and Northern Ireland (4222-33)
Last Registration Date: 31 Aug 2019
Closed for registrations

Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care (Children and Young People) for Wales and Northern Ireland

  • Accreditation No: 501/1201/6 This is a reference number related to UK accreditation framework
  • Type: Credit based qualification This is categorisation to help define qualification attributes e.g. type of assessment
  • Credits: 58 Credits are a measure of the size of the qualification
  • Guided Learning Hours: 379 - 434 This is the average contact time a centre would typically commit
  • Total Qualification Time: 580 The total time for the qualification
  • Key Stage: Data unavailable This shows the equivalent Key Stage level.
  • Last Certification: 31/08/2022 This is the last date that a certificate can be issued
  • Qualification fees in the UK: TBC, please speak to your Account Manager for further information Our typical price is the one that is most often paid by a centre for a completed learner. Some prices are made up of multiple charging points so action like taking difference units or specialisms to complete and resitting assessments may mean the cost for some learners differs.

Level 4

Level 4 Diploma in Adult Care (England) (4222-34)
Last Registration Date: 31 Dec 2023

Level 4 Diploma in Adult Care (England)

  • Accreditation No: 601/5641/7 This is a reference number related to UK accreditation framework
  • Type: Credit based qualification This is categorisation to help define qualification attributes e.g. type of assessment
  • Credits: 70 Credits are a measure of the size of the qualification
  • Guided Learning Hours: 479 - 534 This is the average contact time a centre would typically commit
  • Total Qualification Time: 700 The total time for the qualification
  • Key Stage: N/A This shows the equivalent Key Stage level.
  • Last Certification: 31/12/2026 This is the last date that a certificate can be issued
  • Qualification fees in the UK: £154.00 Our typical price is the one that is most often paid by a centre for a completed learner. Some prices are made up of multiple charging points so action like taking difference units or specialisms to complete and resitting assessments may mean the cost for some learners differs.

Additional information for centres

Smart Screen

SMARTSCREEN IS AVAILABLE FOR THIS QUALIFICATION

SmartScreen is our online portal for tutor, assessors and learners that provides unit-specific support materials and tutor forums to complement the delivery and learning experience

Visit Smartscreen.co.uk >

Learning Assistant

LEARNING ASSISTANT IS AVAILABLE FOR THIS QUALIFICATION

Learning Assistant is an innovative and cost effective e-portfolio solution that allows colleges and training providers to dramatically improve the delivery of their vocational qualifications.

Learn more about Learning Assistant >

Here you can find all documents related to this suite of qualifications.

By clicking on the section headings below, you can access a variety of documents such as the qualification handbooks and assessment materials, Statements of Purpose, and recognition letters from industry and employers.

Some documents may be password protected. Passwords can be retrieved by logging in to walled-garden.com and visiting the Administration section of the relevant qualification catalogue page.

Interested in delivering this qualification?

Find out more about how to become an approved City & Guilds centre or fill out our online customer application form

Assessment materials