Health & Social Care
Our Health and Social Care courses are suitable for anybody looking to work in the social care or health sector, for example as a care worker, social worker or community support worker. You can start by taking a more general qualification before deciding to specialise in a particular field such as care for the elderly, teaching support or dementia care.
Whatever you choose you will find a career in the social care sector both rewarding and fulfilling as you make a difference to the daily lives of those you work with. There are plenty of opportunities for career development with qualification options for supervisors and managers and work available in both the private and public sectors, making social care a good career choice for those looking for a life long vocation.
The Lead Practitioner in Adult Care will guide and inspire team members to make positive differences to someone’s life when they are faced with physical, practical, social, emotional, psychological or intellectual challenges. They will have achieved a level of self-development to be recognised as a lead practitioner within the care team, contributing to, promoting and sustaining a values-based culture at an operational level. A Lead Practitioner has a greater depth of knowledge and expertise of particular conditions being experienced by the user of services. They will have specialist skills and knowledge in their area of responsibilities which will allow them to lead in areas such as care needs assessment, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, rehabilitation and enablement, telecare and assistive technology. They will be a coach and mentor to others and will have a role in assessing performance and quality of care delivery. Lead Practitioners in Adult Care may work in residential or nursing homes, domiciliary care, day centres, a person’s own home or some clinical healthcare settings. As well as covering Lead Practitioners in Adult Care this standard also covers Lead Personal Assistants who can work at this senior level but they may only work directly for one individual who needs support and/or care services, usually within their own home.
An Operations or departmental manager is someone who manages teams and/or projects, and achieving operational or departmental goals and objectives, as part of the delivery of the organisations strategy. They are accountable to a more senior manager or business owner. Working in the private, public or third sector and in all sizes of organisation, specific responsibilities and job titles will vary, but the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed will be the same. Key responsibilities may include creating and delivering operational plans, managing projects, leading and managing teams, managing change, financial and resource management, talent management, coaching and mentoring. Roles may include: Operations manager, Regional manager, Divisional manager, Department manager and Specialist managers.
The Leader in Adult Care will guide and inspire teams to make positive differences to someone’s life when they are faced with physical, practical, social, emotional, psychological or intellectual challenges. They will be a leader of the care team and will develop and implement a values-based culture at a service or unit level. They may be responsible for business development, financial control, organisational resilience and continuity as well as for managing risk and leading on organisational change.
Lead Adult Care Workers are the frontline staff who help adults with care and support needs to achieve their personal goals and live as independently and safely as possible, enabling them to have control and choice in their lives. In addition, Lead Adult Care Workers have responsibility for providing supervision, frontline leadership, guidance and direction for others, or working autonomously, exercising judgement and accountability.
Senior Healthcare Support Workers help registered practitioners deliver healthcare services to people (1). As an experienced support worker, you carry out a range of clinical and non-clinical healthcare or therapeutic tasks, under the direct or indirect supervision of the registered healthcare practitioner. You provide high quality, compassionate healthcare, following standards, policies or protocols and always acting within the limits of your competence. You may work in a range of services eg hospital, community, health or day case unit, birth centre or midwifery led unit, someone’s home, operating theatre, nursing or care home, assessment centre, hospice, school, prison, GP surgery, charity or voluntary organisation; working in partnership with individuals, families, carers and other service providers.
A Team leader or supervisor is a first line management role, with operational and project responsibilities or responsibility for managing a team to deliver a clearly defined outcome. They provide direction, instructions and guidance to ensure the achievement of set goals. Working in the private, public or third sector and in all sizes of organisation, specific responsibilities will vary, but the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed will be the same whatever the role.
Key responsibilities are likely to include supporting, managing and developing team members, managing projects, planning and monitoring workloads and resources, delivering operational plans, resolving problems, and building relationships internally and externally.
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Health & Social Care Blog
What to do if an elderly person falls
As we age, our muscles weaken, and our balance decreases, and we become far more likely to fall. The middle of winter brings the added challenge of cold and icy conditions. This makes it the most likely time of the year for an older person to slip. With this in mind, here is some advice on how to help if you see an elderly person fall.
Older people are much more vulnerable and likely to fall, and even more so if they have a health condition.
The NHS has a new chief executive – what does this mean for England’s health care?
So, it’s goodbye to Simon Stevens after 7 years and hello to Amanda Pritchard, who took over on 1 August as the chief executive of NHS England and Improvement. Heading a £130bn per year organisation, the nation’s biggest employer which sees well over a million patients a day and is central to public and political concerns, is challenging at the best of times. Throw in COVID-19, the large backlog in care, staff shortages and pay tensions, the new Health and Care Bill, plus a new Secretary of State and the job looks daunting. How can it be done well?
How to make a home dementia friendly
When you are dealing with an early dementia diagnosis for yourself or a person you live with or care for, there are many things to consider. How to manage the home and make it as dementia friendly as possible is one of those – we understand how scary and upsetting dealing with a dementia diagnosis can be, so we have put together our top tips for keeping the home safe, accessible and dementia friendly.