To meet the entry criteria for admission to level 5 HND Courses,

A candidate must have either:

A minimum of two completed A-Levels with grades D and above or

A level 3 qualification with minimum 60 credits or

An Access to Higher Education Certificate awarded by an approved further education institution or

4 GCSEs with grades D and above and 3 Years’ Experience or

A level 2 qualifications with minimum 30 credits and 3 years relevant work experience or

Substantial work experience related to the field of proposed study

and,

Where applicants do not have a formal qualification to demonstrate capability in English equivalent to CEFR level B2 e.g. IELTS 5.5 (including 5.5 for reading and writing), PTE 51 or equivalent, they will be required to undertake the College's written English Language test before an offer of a place on a course is made. Judgement of their capability in spoken English will be assessed by the Admission Tutors at the interview. Suitable alternative arrangements to written tests will be made where a student declares a disability, specific learning difficulty or long-term health condition on their application form, e.g, oral questioning, amanuensis, etc.

and,

Demonstrate a Commitment to Study and a reasonable expectation of success on the Course

International qualifications at the appropriate level will also be accepted. The College will use UK NARIC to determine the equivalence of any international qualifications.

This HND course is assessed by a mixture of assignments and presentations and a Professional Learning and Development portfolio (PLAD). It also requires at least 450 hours of work experience/placement in health and/or social care settings to be completed over the two year period of qualification.. Each unit is internally assessed and graded by qualified tutor/assessors and internal verifiers, and then externally by an Pearson examiner. Grades awarded are Pass, Merit and Distinction.

You may top-up your HND to a BA/BSc(Hons) at many UK universities. With a UK Honours degree you will be able to compete in global market for jobs, or even proceed to a Master's degree.Please click here for the employment details.

Course Title
Pearson BTEC Higher National Diploma (HND) in Healthcare Practice (Integrated Health and Social Care)
Awarding Institution
Pearson Education Ltd. Teaching Institution
ICON College of Technology and Management
Accreditation
Pearson; Qualification Accreditation Number (QAN): 603/2294/9
Approval from date: 02 October 2018
Approval to date:     31 August 2023
Final award
Pearson BTEC Level 5 HND in Healthcare Practice (Integrated Health and Social Care)

• • Equipping individuals with the knowledge, understanding and skills required for success in employment in the health and social care sector at supervisory or management levels.
  • Enabling progression to an undergraduate degree or related professional qualification.
  • Providing specialist study relevant to individual vocations and environments in which learners are currently working, or to which learners are aiming to work within the health and/or social care sector.
  • Developing learners’ ability to contribute positively to good practice in the health and social care environment through effective use and combination of the knowledge and skills gained in different parts of the course.
  • Developing skills and techniques, personal qualities and attributes essential for successful performance in working life and thereby enable learners to make an immediate contribution to employment.
  • Developing transferable skills and knowledge which will enable individuals to meet changing circumstances, whether within their own area of employment, or through promotion to a supervisory or management position, or to adapt to changes in the health/social care environment.
  • Motivating individuals to progress to further professional development through future study or as part of their chosen career.

1. Knowledge and Understanding
Learners will be expected to gain the following knowledge during the Course of study:

• Developing the knowledge, understanding and skills of learners in the field of health and social care.
• Equipping learners with knowledge, understanding and skills for success in employment in the health and social care sector.
• Communication through internet and multimedia tools.
• Providing opportunities for specialist study relevant to individual vocations and contexts
• Developing the learner’s ability in the health and social care sector through effective use and combination of the knowledge and skills gained in different parts of the Course.
• Developing a range of skills and techniques, personal qualities and attributes essential for successful performance in working life and thereby enabling earners to make an immediate contribution to employment

 
 
2. Skills
 Learners will be expected to develop the following skills during the Course of study:
Employability Skills:

• Cognitive and problem-solving skills: critical thinking, approaching non- routine problems by applying expert and creative solutions, use of systems and digital technology, generating and communicating ideas creatively.
• Intrapersonal skills: self-management, adaptability and resilience, self-monitoring and selfdevelopment, self-analysis and reflection, planning and prioritising. • Interpersonal skills: effective communication and articulation of information, working collaboratively, negotiating and influencing, self-presentation.

Knowledge and academic study skills

• Active personal research skills
• Effective writing skills
• Analytical skills
• Critical thinking and reflective practice
• Evidence-based practice
• Creative problem-solving
• Decision-making
• Team building
• Exam preparation skills
• Digital literacy
• Competence and capability in practice-based skills in the workplace
• Competence in assessment methods used in higher education.

HSC units will be assessed using a variety of assessment methods, including case studies, assignments, academic posters, leaflets, brochures, role plays, The practical Learning, Assessment and Development portfolio (PLAD), together with projects, PowerPoint (or similar) presentations, performance observation and time constrained assessment. All the assessment material should be valid, reliable and fit for purpose.

The Pearson BTEC Level 5 Higher National Diploma in Healthcare Practice (Integrated Health and Social Care)  requires at least 450 hours of work experience/placement in health and/or social care settings and a Professional Learning and Development portfolio (PLAD), including reflective accounts, to be completed over the two year period of the qualification.

An assignment provides the final assessment for the relevant Learning Outcomes and is normally a final assessment decision. A student who, for the first assessment opportunity, has failed to achieve a Pass for that unit specification shall be expected to undertake reassessment.

• Only one opportunity for reassessment of the unit will be permitted.
• Reassessment for course work, project - or portfolio-based assessments shall normally involve the reworking of the original task.
• A student who undertakes a reassessment will have their grade capped at a Pass for that unit.
• A student will not be entitled to be reassessed in any component of assessment for which a Pass grade or higher has already been awarded.

 Repeat units
 A student who, for the first assessment opportunity and resubmission opportunity, still failed to achieve a Pass for that unit specification:

• At Centre discretion and Assessment Board, decisions can be made to permit a repeat of a unit
• The student must study the unit again with full attendance and payment of the unit fee
• The overall unit grade for a successfully completed repeat unit is capped at a Pass for that unit
• Units can only be repeated once.

The College recognises that it’s Teaching, Learning and Assessment Strategy is fundamental to achieving the aims set out in its Mission Statement and to satisfy expectations contained in appropriate indicators in Chapter B3, B4 and B6 of the UK Quality Code for the Assurance of Academic Quality and Standards in Higher Education.

The aims of the Teaching, Learning and Assessment Strategy is to achieve the following:

• To widen participation from students who are mature, from Black and Minority Ethnic Communities, and come from lower socio economic backgrounds.
• To educate students who are motivated and self-directed critical thinkers, capable of independent enquiry
• To provide student with both sound academic knowledge and vocational expertise
• To foster independent and collaborative learning among students and to encourage lifelong learning leading to enhancing their career potentials
• To develop and implement approaches to feedback and assessment that maximise learning and student outcomes.

The generic components of Teaching, Learning and Assessment Strategies normally involve a variety of approaches and include delivering many of the following:

• Regular use of formal lecture sessions in all courses.
• Regular assignment workshops and seminars in all courses.
• Regular use of individual and/or team-based projects in all courses.
• Regular use of self-directed and directed reading in all courses.
• Regular use of library resources in all courses.
• Regular use of tutor-and student-led discussion groups via e-learning platform; ICON VLE in many courses.

 The assessment of Edexcel BTEC Higher National qualifications is criterion-referenced and learners’ will be assessed against published learning outcomes and assessment criteria. All units will be individually graded as ‘Pass’, ‘Merit’ or ‘Distinction’. To achieve a pass grade for the unit learners must meet the assessment criteria set out in the specifications. This gives transparency to the assessment process and provides for the establishment of national standards for each qualification.
(For more details please The College Quality Assurance and Enhancement Manual)

The teaching philosophy at ICON requires students to be exposed to a range of learning methods and materials.

All tutors now support their classes by the use of “ICON VLE”, a suite of electronic web- based materials that permits students to use the ICON intranet to access materials such as syllabi, schedule of work, digital library materials, reading assignments, and PowerPoint presentations for each of their units.

Student Survey is the primary method of obtaining and gauging student feedback at ICON.  Course evaluation by students is the primary method of obtaining and gauging student feedback at ICON. The evaluation forms are comprised of both qualitative and quantitative elements. Also Student and Staff Liaison Panel meetings, held each semester, to discuss course issues and concerns is another way to support the student.

The Personal Tutorial System is an essential part of the College’s Teaching, Learning and Assessment Strategy. It is also aimed at contributing to enhancement of the teaching and learning experience of the students. Every student must see their personal tutor at least once every semester. The Personal Tutor is available throughout the academic year to assist students through the use of structured, targeted and personal tutorials. The Personal Tutor provides general advice, acts as a first port of call for pastoral, professional or academic concerns (progression) or advice and then directs students to other forms of support by the College, e.g. Counselling Services, The College Hardship Fund and Career Advise.

The Assessment Boards (AsBs) evaluates the external examiner’s reports every year and makes sure the action plans produced from their reports are well managed and the progress is reported to Academic Board. The College also conducts a feedback on assignments to students by a progress monitoring sheet (control sheet) which has been commended by standard verifiers of Pearson as supportive and effective.
 
Internal verification ensures that before any assignment brief is released to students, clear assessment criteria, and correct administrative information on assignment are included. Internal verifier teams identify what changes if any in the assignment brief are required and what corrective action should be taken by assessor and should ensure that it is fit for purpose. Internal verifiers check a range of assessment decisions for all assessors and units by sampling some of the assignments. In case of unexpected assessment decisions, (e.g. everybody achieving Distinction in the assignment), additional sampling will be conducted on individual units/assessors and reported to Assessment Boards for decision.

See the Pearson website http://https://qualifications.pearson.com/en/home.html for more information about HNDs. 

• QAA benchmark standards for health and social care undergraduate degree
• Related National Occupational Standards
• The qualification remain as intermediate level qualifications on the FHEQ. Please refer to Pearson programme specification for RQF.

Learners will be expected to develop the following skills during the Course of study:

• • Analysing, synthesising and summarising information critically.
  • The ability to read and use appropriate literature with a full and critical understanding
  • The ability to think independently and solve problems.
  • The ability to take responsibility for their own learning and recognise their own learning style.
  • Obtaining and integrating several lines of subject-specific evidence to formulate and test
  • Hypotheses.
  • Applying subject knowledge and understanding to address familiar and unfamiliar problems.
  • Recognising the moral and ethical issues surrounding health and social care.
  • The  ability to  appreciate   the need for ethical standards and professional codes of conduct when designing, planning, conducting and reporting an investigations
  • The ability to undertake investigations in health and social care in a responsible, safe  and ethical manner.
  • An appreciation of the interdisciplinary nature of health and social care provision.
  • The capacity to give a clear and accurate account of a subject, marshal arguments in a mature way and engage in debate and dialogue both with specialists and non- specialists.

Download Course Handbook in PDF