AAQ in Health and Social Care

Syllabus: Pearson (Edexcel)

Why Study Health and Social Care?

This subject allows students to engage in a broad investigation of various aspects of the health and social care sector.

About 3 million people in the UK work in the Health and Social Care sector; that is equivalent to 1 in every 20 people. Demand for both Health and Social Care is liable to continue to rise due to the ageing population, as well as the impacts of the current pandemic, and it therefore is indisputable that it plays a key role in UK society. The demand for people to fill these vital careers will therefore continue to increase.

Throughout the course, students will be supported in developing a sense of critical care, imbuing the higher order thinking necessary to achieve success in the course with the essential caring skills for the profession. They will also be encouraged and promoted to develop critical thinking skills necessary for success both academically and vocationally in this field. This is done through introducing a range of activities, such as case studies, interviews, creating care plans, and health promotion activities.

What will you study?

Students will study the following units as part of this qualification over the two years:

Unit 1 - Human Lifespan and Development – Physical, Intellectual, Emotional, and Social (PIES) development and a range of factors affecting growth and development, interventions and the different professionals providing care and treatment
Unit 2 - Human Biology and Health – Human body structure and systems, normal physiological functioning and the impact of common disorders
Unit 3 - Health and Social Care Practice – Core principles, values and legislation that underpin and influence health and social care, and the effect of social determinants on an individual health status
Either:
- Unit 5 - Promoting Health Education – Health education, its purpose and use of different approaches and models to achieve positive health outcomes
- Unit 6 - Safe Environments in Health and Social Care – Appropriate provisions in services relevant to different needs; governance relating to safe environments.

How will you be assessed?

Overall AAQ grades are reported as:

AAQ Grade	A-Level Equivalent
Distinction *	A*
Distinction	A
Merit	C
Pass	E

Two units (Units 1 and 2) are assessed via an external examination at a time set by Pearson, in either January or June. These exams are 80 marks each. These are graded at Unclassified (U), Near Pass (N), Pass (P), Merit (M), or Distinction (D). Students need to achieve at least a Near Pass grade to achieve the qualification.

The other two units are assessed internally will be based around a Pearson Set Assignment Brief (PSAB) Task. These will be completed both in lesson time and as home learning. These are graded at Unclassified (U), Pass (P), Merit (M), or Distinction (D). Students need to achieve at least a Pass grade to achieve the qualification.

Each of the units are equally weighted at 25% of the overall grade. Sufficient units at Distinction (D) grade earn a student a Distinction * (D*) qualification.

What skills will you develop?

Students will develop the following knowledge and skills from the mandatory units:

Professional values and skills expected of professionals, including communication and listening skills.
Organisational and critical thinking skills.
Cultural and social intelligence when working with individuals across the lifespan with different needs, alongside methods of managing challenging situations.

Furthermore, throughout the units, they will development:

Interpersonal skills required when working with others, including compassion and empathy.
Responsibilities of professionals to be adaptable and innovative in delivering care.

All AAQ subjects are also developed to ensure students have the opportunity to improve on a range of transferable and digital skills, including:

Transferable Skills:

Managing Yourself: (1) Taking personal responsibility; (2) Personal strengths and resilience; (3) Career orientation planning; (4) Personal goal setting
Effective Learning: (1) Managing own learning; (2) Continuous learning; (3) Secondary research skills (4) Primary research skills
Interpersonal Skills: (1) Written communications; (2) Verbal and non-verbal communications; (3) Teamwork; (4) Cultural and social intelligence
Solving Problems: (1) Critical thinking (2) Problem solving; (3) Creativity and innovation

Digital Skills:

Problem Solving – The use of digital tools to analyse and solve problems
Digital Collaboration and Communication – Using digital tools to communicate and share information with stakeholders
Transacting Digitally – Using digital tools to set up accounts and pay for goods/services
Digital Security – Identify threats and keep digital tools safe
Handling Data Safely and Securely – Follow correct procedures when handling personal and organisational data.

What makes a good Health and Social Care Student?

Students who succeed in Health and Social Care are compassionate, organised, and want to understand how to help vulnerable individuals.

Please be aware that there are specific themes and topics that may be upsetting or difficult topics relating to the subject, such as child protection and welfare, safeguarding, and child abuse. Students will be required to study these topics, but there will be support available to students if the content is triggering due to life circumstances.

A good AAQ student is one who:

Can manage their time effectively, as there will be a number of deadlines throughout the two years
Is organised, as they will be working on multiple assignments and units simultaneously.
Can apply theory to practice, as this is a vocational course and will require students to contextualise their theory to scenarios involving practitioners

Enjoys wider reading, as completing the course will require students to carry out independent reading on the topics.

Where can Health and Social Care lead?

This qualification can lead to progression to the following degrees:

BSc Nursing
BA/BSc Social Work
BSc Subjects Allied to Health
BA/BEd in Education (Primary)