Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Health and Social Care

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The objective of the OTHM Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Health and Social Care is to equip learners with the underpinning knowledge, understanding and skills required for a career in the health and social care sector at a support worker, senior support worker or care assistant level. The programme enables learners to demonstrate their skills by producing evidence from their work activities, to meet national occupational standards. Learners will acquire skills to support a role in the Health and Social Care sector or progress to further study. 

The OTHM Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Health and Social Care can be offered to learners from age 18. OTHM does not specify entry requirements for these qualifications. OTHM ensures that learners admitted to the programme have sufficient capability at the right level to undertake the learning and assessment criteria.

OTHM Centre must ensure learners are recruited with integrity onto appropriate qualifications that will meet their needs, enable and facilitate learning and achievement enable progression. The qualification is offered in English.

English requirements: If a learner is not from a majority English-speaking country must provide evidence of English language competency. 

OTHM qualifications at RQF Level 3 represent practical knowledge, skills, capabilities and competences that are assessed in academic terms as being equivalent to GCE AS/A Levels. 

The OTHM Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Health and Social Care consists of 6 mandatory units for a combined total of 60 credits, 600 hours Total Qualification Time (TQT) and 120 Guided Learning Hours (GLH) for the completed qualification. 

• Responsibilities of a Health and Social Care worker (10 credits)
• Personal and Professional Development in Health and Social Care (10 credits)
• Effective Communication and Ethical Practice in Health and Social Care (10 credits)
• Health, Safety and Wellbeing in Health and Social Care Settings (10 credits)
• Person-centred Approaches in Health and Social Care Settings (10 credits)
• Effective Handling of Information in Health and Social Care Settings (10 credits)

The qualification is designed to be delivered over 12 months for full-time study, but it is also flexible in its delivery in order to accommodate part-time and distance learning. The qualification is delivered face-to-face, through lectures, tutorials, seminars, distance, online by approved centres only. 

All units within this qualification are internally assessed by the centre and externally verified by OTHM. The qualifications are criterion referenced, based on the achievement of all the specified learning outcomes.

To achieve a ‘pass’ for a unit, learners must provide evidence to demonstrate that they have fulfilled all the learning outcomes and meet the standards specified by all assessment criteria. Judgement that the learners have successfully fulfilled the assessment criteria is made by the Assessor.

The Assessor should provide an audit trail showing how the judgement of the learners’ overall achievement has been arrived at.

Successful completion of OTHM Level 3 Foundation Diploma for Higher Education Studies provides learners the opportunity for academic progressions to a wide range of undergraduate programmes including OTHM Level 4 diplomas.