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For Health Care Assistants: Delivering Care in the Community

Award

Certificate in Continuous Professional Development

Study option

Location

Centre for Health Innovation Stafford

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Develop the relevant knowledge and skills to perform the Healthcare Assistant (HCA) role in primary care and/or the community in a confident, safe and patient-focused manner.

The Health Care Assistant’s role and the needs of general practice are constantly evolving, and this award has been developed to provide underpinning knowledge and skills to support and meet the needs of the developing workforce. This course is designed to enhance the knowledge and skills gained whilst working within a community setting in a health or social care supportive role. It is aimed at students who are currently employed in a health or social care related role and can study part-time.

Applicants have the opportunity to achieve a Certificate of Credit after 20 credits have been completed or achieve a Certificate in Continuous Professional Development after 40 credits have been completed.

The course will empower HCAs to undertake their role more effectively, having developed their self-confidence and self-awareness, and to attain a level of academic achievement that will provide a springboard for further study and development. It will also foster ownership of the role, developing an increased awareness of their accountability, vulnerability and limitations with the need for clear lines of delegation from a registered professional.

Course delivery

This course runs over two years, with students required to complete 8 days in their first year and 7 days in second year. Modules run in September and April.

On successful completion of study, we will issue the following award: Certificate in Continuous Professional Development For Health Care Assistants: Delivering Care in the Community

Duration

University of Staffordshire undergraduate courses are usually 3 years for full-time study.

Courses which offer other study options have longer durations:

Full-time with a placement year, 4 years
Full-time with a foundation year, 4 years
Part-time, 4-9 years

Course content

This course comprises of two core modules:

The role of the Healthcare Assistant in the community
Caring for people with long term conditions

The modules will provide fundamental knowledge and skills pertinent to the HCA role in primary and community care settings in a safe patient-focused way. It will provide practical ideas, hints and tips to support your practice. You will be able to demonstrate your practical skills within the workplace with your mentor/assessor.

As well as providing you with an overview of the patho-physiology and impact of the most common long term conditions identified either through Quality and Outcomes Framework or other government initiatives. It will enhance your clinical skills in monitoring long term conditions and there will be a strong emphasis on diseases prevention and promotion of self-care.

Modules

The tables provide an indicative list of the modules that make up the course for the current academic year. Each module is worth a specified number of credits. Our teaching is informed by research, and modules change periodically to reflect developments in the discipline. We aim to ensure that all modules run as scheduled. If for any reason a module cannot be run we will advise you as soon as possible and will provide guidance on selecting an appropriate alternative module where available.

Year 1 compulsory modules
Year 1 compulsory modules
The Role Of The Health Care Assistant In The Community	20 credits

Year 2 compulsory modules
Year 2 compulsory modules
Caring For People With Long Term Conditions	20 credits

Entry requirements

To undertake this course, you must be employed in a health or social care related role as you will need the support of your employer. You will also need a mentor/assessor to support you in the workplace who must be identified before you start the course. This needs to be a registered healthcare professional usually a nurse who holds a professional registration with a governing body such as the NMC.

All applicants must be 18 years of age at the start of the programme

We understand that you might have experienced a challenging run up to higher education and may have not met the entry requirements as listed. If this is the case don’t worry, contact us and our team of expert advisors can guide you through the next stages of application, or help you find the perfect course for your needs.

Facilities

Stafford Library

Integrated library and computer lab with PCs containing specialist software, seating areas, group and silent study rooms.

Careers

Teaching and assessment

Learning support

In addition to the excellent support you will receive from your course teaching team, our central Academic Skills team provides group and one-to-one help to support your learning in a number of areas. These include:

study skills such as reading, note-taking and presentation skills
written English, including punctuation and grammatical accuracy
academic writing and how to reference
research skills
critical thinking and understanding arguments
revision, assessment and examination skills
time management

Additional support

Our Student Inclusion Services support students with additional needs such as sensory impairment, or learning difficulties such as dyslexia.

Fees

When studied part time, the duration of the course and the amount of fees you’ll pay each year depends on the speed at which you wish to progress through it. This is called the ‘intensity of study’. The usual study pattern on this programme enables you to complete modules totalling 60 credits in your first year of study. This would be equivalent to studying at 50 per cent course intensity.

If you follow this pattern of study you will complete the course in six years. You will pay the pro rata (equivalent) fee shown for your first year of study. This tuition fee is agreed subject to UK government policy and parliamentary regulation. If the UK government passes appropriate legislation, the fee for subsequent years of study may increase in each academic year. But this increase will not exceed the rate of inflation as measured by RPIX*. Any change in fees will apply to both new and continuing students. The University will notify students of any increase as early as possible. Further information about fee changes would be posted on the University’s website once this becomes available.

*RPIX is a measure of inflation equivalent to all the items in the Retail Price Index (RPI) excluding mortgage interest payments.

If you would like to know more about the fees listed and what this means to you then please get in touch with our Enquiries Team.

Accommodation and living costs
Accommodation and living costs
Accommodation and living costs are not included in our fees. View our accommodation Read more about living costs

Sources of financial support

If you receive funding from Student Finance you may be eligible to apply for additional benefits. Details can be obtained by reading our additional funding web pages, or visiting www.gov.uk.

Scholarships and additional funding

As an undergraduate student at Staffordshire, you may be eligible for additional financial support through one of our scholarships and bursaries. You can visit our funding page to find out more and check your eligibility.

Apply

Applications are currently unavailable.

Rules and regulations

If you are offered a place at University of Staffordshire, your offer will be subject to our rules, regulations and enrolment conditions, which may vary from time to time.

Students of University of Staffordshire enter into a contract with us and are bound by these rules and regulations, which are subject to change. For more information, please see: University Policies and Regulations.