Qualification Structure

The ProQual Level 3 Diploma 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 450 hours and 310 Guided Learning Hours (GLH).

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

To achieve the ProQual Level 3 Diploma in Healthcare and Social Care Support Skills, candidates must achieve a minimum of 37 credits.

Core Study Units

Level 2 Units

• Implement person centred approaches in health and social care
• Principles of safeguarding and protection in health and social care
• Assist in the administration of medication
• Carry out personal hygiene for individuals unable to care for themselves
• Support individuals with speech and language disorders to develop their communication skills
• Perform the non-scrubbed circulating role for perioperative procedures
• Minimise the risk of infection when transporting and storing healthcare waste
• Assist in the issuing of prescribed items
• Assist in the manufacture and assembly of medicinal products
• Assist in the preparation of documentation, materials and other items for manufacture and assembly of medicinal products
• Support individuals to carry out their own health care procedures
• Provide support for therapy sessions
• Contribute to the discharge of individuals to carers
• Paediatric Emergency First Aid
• Introduction to communication in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settings
• Support individuals to meet personal care needs
• Contribute to the safe use of medical devices in the perioperative environment
• Causes and Spread of Infection
• Prepare documentation, materials, components and other items for the preparation of aseptic products
• Introduction to duty of care in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settings
• Provide support for mobility
• Assist others to plan presentations
• Order Routine Pharmaceutical Stock
• Dementia Awareness
• Support individuals to manage continence
• Move and position individuals in accordance with their plan of care
• Handle information in health and social care settings
• The role of the health and social care worker
• Obtain and test specimens from individuals
• Prepare individuals for healthcare activities
• Assist in planning and evaluating learning activities
• Assist the practitioner to carry out health care activities
• Minimise the risk of infection during the removal of used linen
• Inform an individual of discharge arrangements
• Understand the context of supporting individuals with learning disabilities
• Select and wear appropriate personal protective equipment for work in health care settings
• Monitor and maintain the environment and resources during and after clinical / therapeutic activities
• Prepare and dress for scrubbed clinical roles
• Care for individuals with naso-gastric tubes
• The principles of Infection Prevention and Control
• Assist with the provision of a pharmacy service to meet individuals’ needs
• Contribute to the effectiveness of teams
• Introduction to personal development in health, social care or children's and young people’s settings
• Support individuals who are distressed
• Support individuals undergoing healthcare activities
• Prepare equipment for intraoperative cell salvage blood processing
• Assist in receiving, handling and dispatching clinical specimens
• Assist in the sale of medicines and products
• Prepare aseptic products
• Prepare and apply dressings and drains to individuals in the perioperative environment
• Planning and Monitoring Work
• Cleaning, Decontamination and Waste Management
• Ensure your own Actions Reduce risks to Health and Safety
• Introduction to equality and inclusion in health, social care or children’s and young people’s settings
• Provide agreed support for foot care
• Contribute to health and safety in health and social care
• Support independence in the tasks of daily living
• Prepare equipment for intraoperative cell salvage blood collection
• Maintaining quality standards in the health sector
• Emergency First Aid Skills
• Assemble prescribed items
• Support participation in learning and development activities
• Provide support for sleep
• Remove wound closure materials
• Support individuals to eat and drink
• Undertake agreed pressure area care
• Service improvement in the health sector
• Meet food safety requirements when providing food and drink for individuals
• Understand loss and grief in end of life care
• Understand how to work in end of life care
• Collection of used equipment
• Sort used equipment and dispose of waste
• Stroke awareness
• Introductory awareness of sensory loss
• Assist in the issuing of pharmaceutical stock

Level 3 Units

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

Level 4 Units

• Support disabled children and young people and those with specific requirements
• Enable children and young people to understand their health and well-being
• Develop and agree individualised care plans for babies and families
• Understand the needs of children and young people who are vulnerable and experiencing poverty and disadvantage
• Support individuals to access education, training or employment

Who Is This Qualification For?

The ProQual Level 3 Diploma in Healthcare and Social Care Support Skills is suitable for a wide range of care professionals and individuals seeking to develop recognised skills and progress within healthcare and social care.

• Healthcare Support Workers seeking a recognised Level 3 qualification
• Adult social care workers developing professional competence
• Care assistants working in residential or community care settings
• Healthcare assistants supporting individuals with day-to-day care needs
• Support workers working with individuals requiring person-centred care
• Individuals progressing from Level 2 healthcare or social care qualifications
• Professionals seeking to strengthen their knowledge of safeguarding, communication and duty of care
• Care staff supporting individuals with disabilities or additional support needs
• Workers involved in promoting independence and wellbeing
• Individuals seeking career progression within the health and social care sector
• Staff working in care homes, supported living or domiciliary care environments
• Individuals developing skills for person-centred support and care planning
• Existing care professionals seeking to formalise workplace knowledge and competence
• Individuals preparing for further study or higher-level qualifications in health and social care
• International professionals seeking a UK-regulated qualification relevant to healthcare and social care support roles

The qualification is particularly valuable where practical competence, person-centred care, safeguarding and professional standards are central to the role.

Career Opportunities

The ProQual Level 3 Diploma in Healthcare and Social Care Support Skills provides a strong foundation of knowledge and practical skills for individuals seeking to pursue or progress in a range of roles across the healthcare and social care sectors. As demand for competent, person-centred care continues to grow, qualified professionals with relevant healthcare and social care support skills are valued across residential, community, domiciliary and other care environments.

Future Progression

Upon successful completion of the ProQual Level 3 Diploma in Healthcare and Social Care Support Skills, individuals can progress to higher-level qualifications and more advanced professional roles within the healthcare and social care sectors. The qualification provides a strong foundation for developing further expertise in person-centred care, safeguarding, health and wellbeing, communication, support planning and professional practice.

Individuals may choose to undertake higher-level qualifications in healthcare, social care, health and wellbeing, leadership or management. Continuing professional development (CPD) and specialist training can also help develop expertise in areas such as dementia care, mental health support, disability services, end-of-life care, safeguarding and community-based support.

The qualification can support progression towards experienced and supervisory roles, depending on occupational experience and employer requirements. Potential career development pathways include Senior Care Worker, Senior Healthcare Support Worker, Care Team Leader, Support Worker, Social Care Practitioner, Community Support Worker and Care Coordinator. The knowledge and practical skills developed through the qualification are valuable across residential care, domiciliary care, community services, healthcare environments and other settings where safe, effective and person-centred support is essential.