Health and Social Care
Health and Social Care Subject Staff
| Mrs Maxwell | Teacher of Health and Social Care |
Subject Overview
Health and Social Care equips our students to discover the impact of positive and negative human development and how to critically analyse how these factors affect our day to day lives. The study of Health and Social Care enables students to explore academically and practically areas that influence how we develop throughout life stages and in turn raise expectations of how we can live successful and healthy lives now and in our future.
Key Stage 4
The health and social care sector comprises two subsectors; Health care and social care. Health care encompasses all hospital activities, medical nursing homes and GP services, for example. The social care sector includes residential nursing care, residential nursing facilities, residential care facilities, domiciliary care and social work. Students are able to progress into work in the sector through degree programmes in nursing, midwifery, social work, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and pharmacy, for example. There are more than 300 distinct career paths in this sector. The sector is a major employer, employing almost four million people across the UK.
This course aims to provide an introduction to study of the sector and is for the student interested in learning about the health and social care sector as part of a balanced study programme. The aim of this course is to provide an overview of the sector within a vocational context and a practical experience.
Key Stage 5
During the course of the two years students, complete 3 mandatory units: Human Lifespan Development, Working in Health and Social Care, Meeting Individual Care and Support Needs and 1 optional unit – Physiological Disorders and their care. During Year 12 students study and sit an external exam in Unit 1 – Human Lifespan Development and complete an externally assessed unit – Unit 5 Meeting Individual Care and Support Needs. In Year 13 the students complete an externally assessed unit – Unit 2 Working in Health and Social Care and an externally assessed unit – Unit 14 Physiological Disorders and their Care.
Studying in this subject area supports students choosing to progress directly to employment as the transferable knowledge, understanding and skills will give successful students an advantage in applying for a range of entry level roles, industry training programmes and Higher Apprenticeships; for example, the Adult Social Care Apprenticeship or the Allied Health Profession Support Apprenticeship.
