TQUK Level 3 Diploma in Healthcare Support Services (RQF)

Understand the structure, purpose, and assessment requirements of the Level 3 Diploma in Healthcare Support Services. This introductory unit provides orientation to the qualification framework, explains the roles and responsibilities of a senior healthcare support worker, and sets out the professional values, conduct standards, and Code of Conduct for Healthcare Support Workers in England that underpin all subsequent learning. Learners are introduced to reflective practice as a tool for professional development.

Apply the principles of continuous professional development to your own practice as a healthcare support worker. This unit covers the importance of reflective practice, the use of supervision and appraisal as development tools, the creation of personal development plans, and the skills needed to evaluate your own practice against professional standards. You will examine how learning from experience and feedback contributes to improved patient outcomes and career progression within healthcare support roles.

Study the legal and procedural framework for protecting adults and children from abuse, neglect, and exploitation in healthcare settings. This unit covers the different categories and indicators of abuse, the local and national safeguarding procedures that healthcare support workers must follow, the principle of making safeguarding personal, the duty to report concerns appropriately, and the roles of the multi-agency safeguarding hub (MASH) and other partner agencies in coordinating protective responses.

Develop a thorough understanding of health and safety legislation, risk assessment principles, and wellbeing frameworks as they apply to healthcare support environments. The unit covers the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, the duties of employers and employees under COSHH regulations, manual handling requirements under the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992, and the practical steps healthcare support workers take to maintain safe environments for patients, visitors, and colleagues.

Build a comprehensive understanding of mental ill health and the experience of people living with mental health conditions in healthcare settings. This unit examines the classifications of mental health disorders including anxiety, depression, psychosis, bipolar disorder, personality disorders, and eating disorders, alongside the impact of stigma and discrimination on recovery. You will study recovery-focused approaches, the role of the Mental Capacity Act 2005, and how healthcare support workers can promote mental wellbeing and emotional safety for patients.

Develop the communication skills essential to safe and effective healthcare support practice. This unit covers verbal and non-verbal communication methods, how to adapt communication to meet individual patient needs including those arising from sensory impairment, cognitive decline, or language differences, the principles of active listening, techniques for managing difficult or distressing conversations, and the use of communication technology in modern healthcare environments including electronic patient record systems.

Examine the extended scope of practice and accountability that distinguishes senior healthcare support workers from more junior roles. This unit covers the professional standards and competencies expected at senior level, the boundaries of the role in relation to registered healthcare professionals, delegation and supervision principles, whistleblowing obligations under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, and the importance of evidence-based practice and clinical governance in maintaining high-quality patient care.

Understand the legal and ethical frameworks that govern the handling, storage, and sharing of patient information in healthcare settings. This unit covers the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, Caldicott principles, and NHS confidentiality policies. You will examine the appropriate use of electronic patient records, information governance principles, the duty to maintain accurate records, and how to balance confidentiality with the need to share information to protect patients from harm.

Develop the knowledge and skills to maintain effective infection prevention and control (IPC) in healthcare environments. This unit covers the chain of infection, the standard precautions framework, hand hygiene compliance, the correct use of personal protective equipment (PPE), transmission-based precautions for patients with known or suspected infections, and the healthcare support worker's role in supporting IPC audits, monitoring, and reporting within the healthcare team.

Study the principles and practice of cleaning, decontamination, and clinical waste management as essential components of infection control in healthcare settings. The unit examines the Spaulding classification system for risk-based decontamination, the correct use of disinfectants and sterilisation methods, the colour-coded waste segregation system used in UK healthcare, sharps disposal protocols, and the environmental and regulatory context for clinical waste management including the Hazardous Waste Regulations 2005.

Examine the legal and ethical concept of duty of care as it applies to healthcare support workers, and understand how it shapes day-to-day practice. This unit covers the common law duty of care, negligence, the Bolam test as applied to support workers, dilemmas arising from balancing duty of care with individual rights, the correct use of risk assessment to manage conflicts between safety and autonomy, and the processes for raising concerns or making formal complaints within a healthcare organisation.

Develop an understanding of the legislative and values framework for promoting equality, diversity, and inclusion in healthcare support practice. This unit covers the Equality Act 2010 and its nine protected characteristics, the public sector equality duty, the principles of person-centred and culturally competent care, the impact of unconscious bias on patient experience, and practical strategies for challenging discriminatory attitudes and practices encountered in healthcare environments.

Apply person-centred values to healthcare support practice, prioritising individual choice, dignity, and independence at every stage of care delivery. This unit examines the principles of person-centred care as set out in the NHS Constitution and the Care Act 2014, the role of care and support planning in capturing individual preferences, and practical approaches to supporting patients to make informed decisions about their own care, including the application of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the principles of best interests decision-making.

Build the academic skills required to succeed in Level 3 study and to continue learning throughout a healthcare support career. This unit covers reading and interpreting healthcare policy and research documents, structuring written assignments at Level 3, appropriate referencing and citation of sources, critical thinking and evidence evaluation skills, and time management strategies for those studying alongside employment. Learners are also introduced to the principles of evidence-based practice.

Develop the skills to engage patients and service users in conversations about health promotion and lifestyle choices. This unit covers behaviour change models including motivational interviewing and the transtheoretical model, the Making Every Contact Count (MECC) approach used across NHS England, techniques for discussing sensitive topics such as substance use, weight management, sexual health, and mental wellbeing, and the appropriate signposting of individuals to specialist health promotion services and resources.

Examine the quality standards, regulatory frameworks, and governance mechanisms that healthcare support workers operate within. This unit covers the Care Quality Commission (CQC) fundamental standards, the NHS Patient Safety Strategy, the duty of candour under Regulation 20 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008, the role of clinical audit in maintaining standards, and how healthcare support workers contribute to a culture of continuous quality improvement through observation, reporting, and engagement with governance processes.

Study the principles and methods used to drive service improvement in healthcare organisations. The unit covers quality improvement methodologies including Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycles, Lean principles in healthcare, root cause analysis tools such as fishbone diagrams and the five whys, the role of patient and staff feedback in identifying improvement opportunities, and how healthcare support workers can contribute to and support formal improvement projects led by multidisciplinary teams.

Develop the knowledge and skills to support individuals experiencing pain and discomfort in a healthcare setting. This unit covers pain assessment tools including numerical rating scales and behavioural pain scales for patients unable to self-report, non-pharmacological pain management strategies such as positioning, heat and cold therapy, and distraction techniques, the healthcare support worker's role in observing and reporting pain responses, and the principles of palliative and end-of-life pain management.

Examine the role of the healthcare support worker in observing, monitoring, and reporting changes in the health status of patients. This unit covers systematic observation and the NEWS2 (National Early Warning Score) framework, the recognition and reporting of clinical deterioration, documentation of observations in electronic and paper-based patient records, and the escalation pathways used to communicate concerns to registered healthcare professionals in an appropriate and timely manner.

Develop the practical knowledge required to undertake a range of physiological measurements in clinical healthcare settings. This unit covers the correct technique and equipment for measuring blood pressure, pulse rate and rhythm, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation by pulse oximetry, temperature, blood glucose, and urinalysis, including normal reference ranges, common sources of error, and the documentation and reporting of findings within the patient record and the NEWS2 clinical observation framework.

Study the principles and practice of medicines administration as they apply to healthcare support workers working under the delegation of a registered healthcare professional. The unit covers the legal framework for medicines management in England including the Medicines Act 1968 and relevant NHS Trust policies, the five rights of medicines administration, common drug forms and routes of administration, recognition and reporting of adverse drug reactions, the administration of controlled drugs, and the role of the healthcare support worker in medicines reconciliation and patient education.

Examine approaches to understanding and responding to behaviours that may present a challenge in healthcare settings. This unit covers trauma-informed and person-centred approaches to behaviour support, the function of behaviour as communication, de-escalation techniques, the legal framework governing restrictive interventions in healthcare settings including the Mental Health Act 1983 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005, and the role of positive behaviour support planning in reducing the frequency and impact of challenging behaviour.

Develop an understanding of positive risk-taking as a component of person-centred, recovery-focused healthcare support. This unit examines the concept of dignity of risk, the legal framework for decision-making including the Mental Capacity Act 2005, practical tools for risk assessment and management planning, the importance of proportionality in risk management, and how healthcare support workers can advocate for individuals' right to make choices that carry an element of risk while maintaining appropriate safeguards.

Understand the correct selection, use, and disposal of personal protective equipment (PPE) in healthcare environments. This unit covers the regulatory framework for PPE including the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992, the hierarchy of controls in infection risk management, the correct donning and doffing sequences for gloves, aprons, fluid-resistant surgical masks, eye protection, and full-body gowns, and the documentation and governance requirements associated with PPE use in clinical settings.

Study the theoretical and practical foundations of health promotion as an activity carried out by healthcare support workers across all healthcare settings. The unit covers the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, social determinants of health, health literacy and its impact on patient behaviour, the public health priorities identified in NHS England's Core20PLUS5 framework, and the skills required to deliver brief health promotion interventions and support patients to access the information and services they need to improve their wellbeing.

Examine the principles of effective team working in multidisciplinary healthcare environments. This unit covers models of team development including Tuckman's stages, the roles and contributions of different professions within the healthcare team, effective handover communication using tools such as SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation), conflict resolution approaches, the importance of psychological safety in high-performing clinical teams, and how healthcare support workers contribute to a culture of shared learning and mutual accountability.