Course Description
This Award has been designed to provide a comprehensive core programme of learning and assessment for health and care workers in a range of settings
The Award is aimed at providing the learner with the general knowledge, skills, competences and core values required to work in the caring profession and on successful completion students will have the knowledge to deliver the highest standards of service.
The programme also provides students with a sound knowledge on how they can approach their work and deliver effective and safe services.
The Award in Healthcare is suitable for part time students in work and on successful completion, students can progress into or within employment in the healthcare sector. The course has been developed by one of the leading employers in the industry
In 2025, the pass rate for the course was 95%.
The accreditation category of the Programme is Further Education.
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the course programme, students will be able to:
- Develop self-knowledge and professional practice.
- Understand the rights, responsibilities and protection in care.
- Identify a number of approaches in person-centred care which assists in the overall well-being of the individual.
- The acquired knowledge will enable the student to communicate effectively both in verbal and written formats.
- Apply person centred care and help the individual lead a meaningful and fulfilled life with dignity.
- Support individuals and their well-being in care.
- Apply health and safety principles in practice.
- Effectively support and care for an individual living in the community or residential care setting.
- Manage and monitor a plan of treatment and/or care and contribute towards its’ implementation.
- Develop ability to recognise and reflect on personal learning and improve their professional skills.
Target Candidates
This course is aimed at those wishing to enter the caring profession and obtain formal knowledge and qualification in healthcare.
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| Course Code | Duration | Credit Value | Next Intake | FT/PT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LW/HSC/001 | 3 months | 12 ECTS | April 2026 | PT |
| Contact Hours | Placement Hours | Self Study Hours | Assessment Hours | Total Learning Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 | 40 | 140 | 60 | 300 |
Mode of Delivery
Online or Face-to-Face
Modules are delivered in the evening, twice a week.
Language of instruction is English.
Assessment
Formative, Summative & Practice Placements.
Awarding Body
Learning Works
Course Structure
Module 1: Developing Professional Knowledge and Practice in a Care Setting (2 ECTS)
The aim of this unit is enable learners to identify their own role in relation to duties, responsibilities in relation to employer and other members of the healthcare team.
As well as focusing on professional knowledge the unit will also cover how the learner can develop their own practice as a healthcare worker.
- Work collaboratively as part of the care team
- Identify own learning and development goals
- Create and agree a personal development plan
- Know the specific tasks required as part of their job role
- State the requirements needed to be a care worker
- Understand own role and responsibilities in the workplace
- Explain how to ensure the rights of others are respected
- Understand the importance for care workers to keep up-to-date with changes and continuous professional development
- Practice their role professionally in defined health and social care settings
- Demonstrate the importance of working in ways agreed with employer
- Work collaboratively as part of a team in partnership with other healthcare professionals
- Identify reasons for having support in a care setting
- Appraise own practice, learning & development
- Review own progress in meeting learning and development goals
- Examine how new knowledge and skills can be used in a care setting
- Communicate in a professional and collaborative manner
- Outline how to access relevant training
- Explain different ways and methods for developing own skills
- Identify personal training needs
- Identify personal learning style
- Create personal development plan
- Total Contact Hours: 10
- Supervised Placement & Practice Hours: 0
- Self-Study Hours: 30
- Assessment Hours: 10
- Total Learning Hours of this Module: 50
Module 2: Rights, Responsibilities and Protection in Care (2 ECTS)
This unit provides learners with an understanding of the importance of values that are core to care practice: respect, rights, diversity, equality, inclusion and prevention of abuse in promoting an individual’s right to dignity. The unit defines the terms and supports the learner in investigating the importance of rights, dignity and inclusive practice in supporting the care, protection and well-being of the individual. Learners will investigate their own values and beliefs and potential effects on care delivery and professional practice.
- Understand values, rights and responsibilities
- Identify their own values and responsibilities in care setting
- Work and practice with respect to the diversity of the individual
- Identify own responsibility in protecting individuals from harm and abuse
- Working practices to ensure rights are protected
- Importance of dignity, respect, diversity and understanding in care
- Identify individual’s rights, needs and responsibilities
- Apply ways of working which respect diversity of the individual
- Protect individuals from harm and abuse
- Evaluate key legislation and codes of practice relating to rights, discrimination and abuse in adult healthcare settings
- Analyse own values and responsibilities in professional practice
- Communicate in ways to ensure that own interactions with individuals respect rights, beliefs, culture, values and preference
- Raise awareness of rights, responsibilities and protection in care
- Explain how to support others in ensuring rights and protection of individual is practiced
- Implement person-centred practices which support individuals and their rights
- Work collaboratively to ensure individuals are protected.
- Total Contact Hours: 10
- Supervised Placement & Practice Hours: 0
- Self-Study Hours: 30
- Assessment Hours: 10
- Total Learning Hours of this Module: 50
Module 3: Communication and Documentation for Care (2 ECTS)
The focus of this unit is on effective communication, working collaboratively, documenting and sharing information with and about individuals in a health care setting.
- Use a range of acquired skills and approaches to communicate effectively.
- Perform specific tasks in supporting individuals to communicate effectively.
- Ensure sharing of information in the appropriate manner to the right persons as required.
- Identify and understand a range of communication methods.
- Describe ways of identifying how an individual likes to communicate.
- Identify the skills needed for effective communication with different individuals.
- Understand a range of formats for documenting information.
- Communicate effectively using non-verbal communication ie. active listening, use of space, positioning, body language and eye contact
- Review sources of information about communication needs – organisational records, the individual, relevant professionals and outside agencies
- Identify and appraise barriers to communication
- Select and evaluate appropriate ways of supporting individuals, including persons living with dementia, to communicate effectively
- Examine what should be done when communication is not effective or breaks down
- Examines the kind of communication to be engaged with challenging behaviour
- Use a range of communication techniques including non-verbal
- Prepare and write up necessary documentation
- Communicate in ways that ensures interaction with individuals;
- Interact with individuals through person-centred care;
- Respect the rights, beliefs, culture, value and dignity of individuals;
- Offer the best quality of care.
Use a variety of methods of communication that can support an individual’s needs, preferences and taking into account issues such as diversity and equality
- Total Contact Hours: 10
- Supervised Placement & Practice Hours: 0
- Self-Study Hours: 30
- Assessment Hours: 10
- Total Learning Hours of this Module: 50
Module 4: Understanding Health and Safety for Care (2 ECTS)
This unit is concerned with getting learners to understand the legal and workplace standards for health and safety. This unit develops the learners knowledge of the awareness of hazards and risks in the workplace as well as encouraging good health and safety practice.
- Identify relevant laws and care setting requirements in relation to health and safety in the workplace
- Identify hazards and risks in a care setting
- Describe good health and safety practices in a care setting
- Understand employers responsibilities according to the laws of Malta
- Be familiar with the procedures relating to health and safety practice in a care setting
- Procedures for recording and reporting accidents and emergencies
- Understand the requirements necessary for ensuring the rights of the individual are respected when dealing with health and safety matters
- Put into practice ways on how to reduce the spread of infection in a care setting
- Demonstrate how own health and hygiene may affect the safety of others in a care setting
- Demonstrate how personal protective equipment should be used in a care setting
- Identify hazards that might give rise to accidents or injuries in a care setting
- Deal with different kinds of emergencies which may occur in a care setting
- Analyze how to work safely with hazardous and non-hazardous materials and equipment
- Assess how to move and handle individuals safely and with dignity
- Assess how to move objects safely
- Evaluate how some individual may be more at risk of accidents or injury than others
- Explain health and safety procedures in a care setting
- Communicate risks and hazards to relevant parties
Know how to handle incidents and accidents in the workplace
- Total Contact Hours: 10
- Supervised Placement & Practice Hours: 0
- Self-Study Hours: 30
- Assessment Hours: 10
- Total Learning Hours of this Module: 50
Module 5: Supporting Individuals to Meet Daily Living Needs (2 ECTS)
The focus of this unit is to give learners the opportunity to develop their understanding and knowledge of how to support individuals, to meet the needs to live and the support required to live as independently as possible.
- Provide the support required to meet the dietary needs of an individual
- Provide necessary support to promote and maintain an individual’s continence
- Nutritional requirements to maintain individual’s health and well-being
- Dietary requirements of an individual with respect to their choices and preferences
- Preparing food and drink in a safe and attractive way
- Various methods to support eating and drinking
- Understand the importance of maintaining an adequate intake of fluids
- Basic anatomy relating to caring for different parts of the body, digestion, bodily processes including bowel and bladder function
- Demonstrate how an individual can care and maintain different parts of the body, e.g. skin, mouth, feet, eyes, hair, nails and genital area
- Use appropriate equipment and aids to support hygiene and dressing, where appropriate
- Demonstrate a number of tasks in maintaining hygiene and personal care
- Identify irregular patterns of bowel and bladder functions such as medicines, mobility and mental state
- Dispose of body waste safely and effectively
- Offer and provide personal preference and choice relating to maintaining hygiene and appearance
- Evaluate individual choice and personal preference relating to bowel and bladder function with regard to privacy and dignity
- Communicate with individual in appropriate manner respecting choices and preferences
- Understand the concept of consent in working with individual
- Report any concerns to relevant personnel
Provide the support required to meet the personal hygiene, grooming and dressing needs of an individual
- Total Contact Hours: 10
- Supervised Placement & Practice Hours: 20
- Self-Study Hours: 10
- Assessment Hours: 10
- Total Learning Hours of this Module: 50
Module 6: Supporting Physical and Emotional Well-being of Individuals
(2 ECTS)
The focus of this unit is to provide learners with the opportunity to understand how the person-centred approach aids and assists the individual’s physical and mental well-being. Following on from the previous unit this unit focuses on the factors that lead to pain, discomfort, distress and how individuals express these feelings. Learners are taught how to help individuals with pain as well as methods and approaches to promote rest and sleep.
- Practice a person centred approach in providing care
- Understand the anatomy & physiology connected to physical and mental well-being
- Identify factors causing pain, distress and discomfort
- Implement a number of approaches to ensure individuals physical & emotional well-being
- Understanding of person-centred values
- Knowledge of working using a person–centred approach
- Understand importance of individual’s good physical health and good mental health
- Understand anatomy & physiology connected with mobility, pain & discomfort
- Describe the terms good physical health and good mental health and how these are interdependent
- Describe the impact of prolonged inactivity on physical and mental well-being
- Take appropriate steps to remove or minimise the environmental factors causing the discomfort or distress
- Recognise the signs that an individual is in pain or discomfort.
- Take appropriate action where there is pain or discomfort.
- Outline the range of health checks that individuals need to support their health and wellbeing
- Evaluate why the changing physical and emotional needs of an individual must be reflected in their care and/or support plan
- Communicate with individuals using the person-centred approach
- Discuss importance of physical and mental well being with individual
- Report any concerns to relevant parties
- Work in a care setting using the person-centred approach
- Understand factors to support physical and mental well-being
- Take appropriate actions to assist the physical and mental well-being of the individual
Assess the importance of supporting individuals to plan for their future wellbeing and fulfilment, including end-of-life care
- Total Contact Hours: 10
- Supervised Placement & Practice Hours: 20
- Self-Study Hours: 10
- Assessment Hours: 10
- Total Learning Hours of this Module: 50
Entry Requirements
Learners need to satisfy the following criteria:
- Ages 16 +
- Hold a School Leaving Certificate
- Be able to communicate both orally and in written format in the English Language
- Hold a clean Police Conduct Certificate.