Qualification Structure

The ProQual Level 3 Award in Healthcare and Social Care Support Skills is an Ofqual-regulated qualification accredited on the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF). The qualification has a Total Qualification Time (TQT) of 100 hours and 50 Guided Learning Hours (GLH).

Assessment is assignment-based only and is conducted on a Pass/Fail basis. Assessment is internally assessed and verified by centre staff, with external quality assurance provided by ProQual Verifiers to ensure the qualification meets required quality and regulatory standards.

To achieve the qualification, candidates must successfully achieve 6 credits from any combination of available units.

Core Study Units

Mandatory Units

The ProQual Level 3 Award in Healthcare and Social Care Support Skills provides a flexible unit structure, with candidates required to achieve 6 credits from any combination of the following units:

• Work with babies and young children to promote their development and learning — 6 credits
• Engage in personal development in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settings — 3 credits
• Support individuals with multiple conditions and/or disabilities — 4 credits
• Support individuals who are bereaved — 4 credits
• Prepare for and carry out extended feeding techniques — 4 credits
• Provide support to continue recommended therapies — 3 credits
• Insert and secure nasogastric tubes — 4 credits
• Develop positive relationships with children and young people — 4 credits
• Provide advice and information to enable parents to promote the health and well-being of their newborn babies — 3 credits
• Facilitate and monitor housing and accommodation services to support individuals with mental health needs — 5 credits
• Collaborate in the assessment of environmental and social support in the community — 4 credits
• Influencing Others at Work — 1 credit
• Care for the physical and nutritional needs of babies and young children — 6 credits
• Support families who have a child with a disability — 3 credits
• Support individuals to manage their finances — 3 credits
• Obtain venous blood samples — 3 credits
• Implement therapeutic group activities — 4 credits
• Collate and communicate health information to individuals — 3 credits
• Provide information and advice to individuals on eating to maintain optimum nutritional status — 5 credits
• Assist in the implementation of programmes to increase mobility, movement and functional independence — 4 credits
• Receive and handle clinical specimens within the sterile field — 4 credits
• Prepare anaesthetic environment and provide support for pre and post-operative anaesthesia and recovery — 5 credits
• Make recommendations for the use of physical resources in a health setting — 5 credits
• Maintaining quality standards in the health sector — 2 credits
• Understand Models of Disability — 3 credits
• Support individuals to access and use services and facilities — 4 credits
• Promote and implement health and safety in health and social care — 6 credits
• Support young people with a disability to make the transition into adulthood — 5 credits
• Understand mental well-being and mental health promotion — 3 credits
• Carry out vision screening — 4 credits
• Assist professionals to support individuals from diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds to access speech and language therapy services — 5 credits
• Implement hydrotherapy programmes for individuals and groups — 5 credits
• Deliver exercise sessions to improve individuals’ health and wellbeing — 5 credits
• Provide support to the surgical team when preparing individuals for operative and invasive procedures — 4 credits
• Facilitate person centred assessment, planning, implementation and review — 6 credits
• Work in partnership with families to support individuals — 4 credits
• Support individuals to develop and run support groups — 3 credits
• Monitor own work practice in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settings — 3 credits
• Perform first line calibration on clinical equipment to ensure it is fit for use — 3 credits
• Monitor and review individuals progress in relation to maintaining optimum nutritional status — 3 credits
• Give presentations to groups — 4 credits
• Support individuals in undertaking their chosen activities — 4 credits
• Control the use of physical resources in a health setting — 3 credits
• Support children and young people experiencing transitions — 3 credits
• Promote communication in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settings — 3 credits
• Contribute to the prevention of aggressive and abusive behaviour of people — 4 credits
• Service improvement in the health sector — 3 credits
• Understand the process and experience of dementia — 3 credits
• Understand Physical Disability — 3 credits
• Support individuals with a learning disability to access healthcare — 3 credits
• Undertake urethral catheterisation processes — 4 credits
• Promote good practice in handling information in health and social care settings — 2 credits
• Understand mental health problems — 3 credits
• Perform routine Electrocardiograph (ECG) Procedures — 4 credits
• Undertake treatments and dressings of lesions and wounds — 4 credits
• Adapt and fit healthcare equipment, medical devices, assistive technology, or products, to meet individuals’ needs — 6 credits
• Administer oral nutritional products to individuals — 5 credits
• Promote effective communication with individuals with sensory loss — 4 credits
• Work with other professionals and agencies to support individuals with physical disability — 3 credits
• Support individuals to access housing and accommodation services — 4 credits
• Identify information requirements in a health context — 4 credits
• Prepare and reproduce permanent radiographic images — 4 credits
• Develop and prepare speech and language therapy resources for alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) use — 4 credits
• Carry out wound drainage care — 4 credits
• Prepare and provide surgical instrumentation and supplementary items for the surgical team — 6 credits
• Care for a newly born baby when the mother is unable to do so — 4 credits
• Understand Child and Young Person Development — 4 credits
• Provide support to maintain and develop skills for everyday life — 4 credits
• Facilitate learning and development activities to meet individual needs and preferences — 5 credits
• Enable individuals with behavioural difficulties to develop strategies to change their behaviour — 8 credits
• Reprocess endoscopy equipment — 4 credits
• Support individuals with cognition and learning difficulties — 5 credits
• Assist in testing individuals’ abilities prior to planning physical activities — 5 credits
• Support individuals to manage dysphagia — 5 credits
• Provide advice on foot care for individuals with diabetes — 3 credits
• Transport, transfer and position individuals and equipment within the perioperative environment — 5 credits
• Understand Sensory Loss — 3 credits
• Support families who are affected by Acquired Brain Injury — 3 credits
• Support individuals during a period of change — 4 credits
• Perform intravenous cannulation — 4 credits
• Care for individuals with urethral catheters — 4 credits
• Conduct routine maintenance on clinical equipment — 4 credits
• Assist and support individuals to use alternative and augmentative communication systems (AAC) — 5 credits
• Measure and record individuals’ body fluid balance in a perioperative environment — 4 credits
• Support parents/carers to interact with and care for their newborn baby — 4 credits
• Deliver training through demonstration and instruction — 3 credits
• Principles for implementing duty of care in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settings — 1 credit
• Promote Child and Young Person Development — 3 credits
• Develop and sustain effective working relationships with staff in other agencies — 4 credits
• Undertake physiological measurements — 3 credits
• Undertake stoma care — 4 credits
• Assure the effective functioning of radiographic image processing equipment — 4 credits
• Operate equipment for intraoperative cell salvage blood collection — 5 credits
• Advise and inform individuals on managing their condition — 5 credits
• Assist others to monitor individuals’ progress in managing dysphagia — 5 credits
• Support carers to meet the care needs of individuals — 5 credits
• Maintain pharmaceutical stock — 3 credits
• Anatomy and Physiology for Maternity Support Workers — 2 credits
• Receive prescriptions from individuals — 3 credits
• Understand how to support individuals with autistic spectrum conditions — 3 credits
• Support Individuals with Specific Communication Needs — 5 credits
• Obtain and test capillary blood samples — 4 credits
• Support individuals at the end of life — 7 credits
• Contribute to effective multidisciplinary team working — 3 credits
• Analyse and present health related data and information — 4 credits
• Remove wound drains — 4 credits
• Develop activities and materials to enable individuals to reach specific communication goals — 5 credits
• Operate equipment for intraoperative cell salvage blood processing and complete intraoperative cell salvage blood process — 5 credits
• Support parents/carers and those in a parental role to care for babies during their first year — 5 credits
• Obtain a client history — 3 credits
• Manage the availability of physical resources to meet service delivery needs in a health setting — 5 credits
• Administer medication to individuals, and monitor the effects — 5 credits
• Undertake an in-process accuracy check of assembled prescribed items prior to the final accuracy check — 4 credits
• Promote equality and inclusion in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settings — 2 credits
• Understand the impact of Acquired Brain Injury on individuals — 3 credits
• Support individuals to live at home — 4 credits
• Promote person centred approaches in health and social care — 6 credits
• Interact with and support individuals using telecommunications — 5 credits
• Undertake tissue viability risk assessments — 3 credits
• Manufacture equipment or medical devices for individuals within healthcare — 4 credits
• Provide support for individuals with communication and interaction difficulties — 5 credits
• Monitor individuals’ progress in relation to managing their body weight and nutrition — 3 credits
• Assist in implementing treatment programmes for individuals with severely reduced movement/mobility — 5 credits
• Assist in the delivery of perioperative care and support to individuals — 4 credits
• Examine the feet of individuals with diabetes — 4 credits
• Communicate with individuals about promoting their health and wellbeing while working as a Health Trainer — 3 credits
• Understand How to Safeguard the Wellbeing of Children and Young People — 3 credits
• Support Children and Young People's Health and Safety — 2 credits
• Develop Positive Relationship with Children, Young People and Others Involved in Their Care — 1 credit
• Working Together for the Benefit of Children and Young People — 2 credits
• Understand How to Support Positive Outcomes for Children and Young People — 3 credits
• Assessment and planning with children and young people — 5 credits
• Promote the wellbeing and resilience of children and young people — 4 credits
• Professional practice in children and young people’s social care — 4 credits
• Support individuals to prepare for and settle in to new home environments — 3 credits
• Promote positive behaviour — 6 credits
• Support use of medication in social care settings — 5 credits
• Provide information and advice to children and young people — 3 credits
• Support young people to move towards independence and manage their lives — 3 credits
• Work with children and young people in a residential care setting — 5 credits
• Support positive practice with children and young people with speech, language and communication needs — 4 credits
• Support children or young people in their own home — 4 credits
• Support positive attachments for children and young people — 7 credits
• Support individuals with autistic spectrum conditions — 4 credits
• Prepare, load and operate decontamination equipment — 3 credits
• Prepare re-useable medical devices for sterilisation — 3 credits
• Carry out sterilisation and product release of re-useable medical devices — 2 credits
• Understand how to monitor the decontamination process — 1 credit
• Monitor and solve customer service problems — 6 credits
• Plan, allocate and monitor work of a team — 5 credits
• Understand Stroke Care Management — 4 credits
• Conduct hearing assessments — 5 credits
• Conduct External Ear Examinations — 4 credits
• Carry out intravenous infusion — 4 credits
• Carry out blood collection from fixed or central lines — 4 credits
• Diabetes Awareness — 6 credits
• Introduction to the role and responsibilities of a Health Trainer — 4 credits
• Establishing and developing relationships with communities while working as a Health Trainer — 3 credits
• Enable individuals to change their behaviour to improve their health and wellbeing while working as a Health Trainer — 5 credits
• Clinical Imaging Support Worker: Anatomy and Terminology — 3 credits
• Clinical Imaging Support Worker: Fundamentals of Care — 6 credits
• Clinical Imaging Support Worker: Radiation Protection and Awareness — 3 credits
• The Use of Contrast Media in Clinical Imaging — 2 credits
• Speech and Language Support for 11–16s: From Theory into Practice — 9 credits
• Speech and Language Support for 5–11s: From Theory into Practice — 9 credits
• Communication Support for 0–25s with Severe and Complex Needs: From Theory into Practice — 9 credits
• Communication and relationships to promote the wellbeing and mental health of older people — 3 credits

Who Is This Qualification For?

The ProQual Level 3 Award in Healthcare and Social Care Support Skills is suitable for individuals seeking to strengthen professional knowledge and practical support skills across healthcare, social care and community-based settings.

• Healthcare support workers seeking recognised professional development
• Social care workers developing their knowledge and workplace competence
• Care assistants working in residential or community care environments
• Support workers assisting individuals with care and wellbeing needs
• Individuals progressing into healthcare or social care support roles
• Professionals supporting people with disabilities or additional needs
• Workers involved in person-centred care and support planning
• Individuals working with children, young people or families in care settings
• Staff supporting individuals with mental health or wellbeing needs
• Care professionals seeking flexible unit-based learning
• Individuals developing specialist healthcare support skills
• Existing care staff seeking a regulated RQF qualification
• Workers aiming to broaden their responsibilities within care services
• Individuals preparing for further study or career progression in health and social care
• Employers seeking structured professional development for healthcare and social care staff

Career Opportunities

The ProQual Level 3 Award in Healthcare and Social Care Support Skills provides learners with the knowledge and practical skills required to pursue a range of roles within the healthcare, social care, community support, and care services sectors. As organisations place increasing importance on person-centred care, safeguarding, wellbeing, and high-quality support, qualified professionals with relevant healthcare and social care skills are valued across hospitals, care homes, community services, residential settings, and other care environments.

Future Progression

Upon successful completion of the ProQual Level 3 Award in Healthcare and Social Care Support Skills, learners can progress to higher-level qualifications and advanced professional roles within the healthcare and social care sectors. The qualification provides a strong foundation for developing specialist knowledge in person-centred care, safeguarding, health and wellbeing, communication, and individual support.

Learners may choose to undertake higher-level healthcare and social care qualifications, develop professional competence through continuing professional development (CPD), or pursue specialist training in areas such as mental health support, disability care, dementia care, safeguarding, nutrition, and community support.

The qualification can also support progression into roles including Healthcare Support Worker, Care Assistant, Social Care Worker, Support Worker, Residential Care Worker, Community Support Worker, Mental Health Support Worker, Disability Support Worker, and Healthcare Assistant. The knowledge and skills gained are relevant across hospitals, care homes, community services, residential settings, and other healthcare and social care environments.