Health and Social Care FdSc

The course builds on existing knowledge and experience and to further develop specific knowledge, skills and values relevant to the current and emerging needs of employment in health and social care. It will enable you to assess, plan, implement and make sound judgements in effective care delivery in accordance with the core values of health and social care work.

You will explore and debate issues arising from the social, cultural, moral, legal and political context of health and social care work. You will develop your interpersonal and communication skills and will be encouraged to identify, use and communicate relevant information effectively.

You learn to locate and evaluate evidence and research and apply this in your practice and decision making in health and social care.

The course will also focus on your personal and professional development and provides opportunities for you to develop your study skills, meet your own learning needs and to develop and practice key skills in preparation for employment, further study and lifelong learning.

Assessment
The course is designed to develop knowledge and skills for health and social care. Therefore a variety of teaching, learning and assessment approaches will be used and will emphasise the relationship between theory and real life issues and experiences in practice. These include coursework assignments, reflective practice and portfolio work, project work, individual and group presentations, case studies, reports and practical assessment.

Students who are not employed in a suitable health & social care setting will need to find a work-placement for one day a week for the duration of the course.

There is an increasing range of opportunities for individuals to work in health and social care, in statutory, non-statutory and voluntary sectors and with a number of different service users.  The focus of health and social care can be very diverse and the Foundation degree will support future employment in a range of settings and with different client groups, for example:
Working with individuals
Working with a variety of service user groups, e.g. older people, people with learning disabilities, people with acute illness, long-term and chronic illness or requiring intermediate care
Working in hospitals, community, residential and private care facilities
Personal care
Care management

The Foundation degree is equivalent to the first two years of study of an undergraduate degree programme. On successful completion, it also guarantees progression onto relevant ‘Top-up’ Honours degree programmes and future opportunities for accelerated routes to professional registration in nursing and accreditation of prior learning against some of the theoretical components of a social work degree.