The FdSc Assistant Practitioner Health and Social Care is a Foundation Degree designed for adults wanting to progress towards a professional degree within the health and social care sector. It has been designed in response to the rapidly changing workforce demands and policy initiatives aimed at modernising services and improving quality, productivity, and efficiency. It covers both the academic and work-based competencies that are relevant to a multitude of roles within health and social care settings.
The Foundation Degree Assistant Practitioner Health and Social Care provides a principal route for the training and education of Assistant Practitioners. NHS Employers (2015) identified the Assistant Practitioner as non-occupational specific role that has developed to assist organisations to deliver high quality and patient centred services in a variety of settings.
An Assistant Practitioner is a worker who competently delivers health and social care to and for people. They are non-registered practitioners who have the required level of knowledge and skill beyond that of traditional healthcare assistant or support workers and expected to undertake more complex tasks (Skills for Health, 2009).
The programme is a recognised progression route onto the following Sheffield Hallam pre-registration courses: Adult Nursing, Diagnostic Radiography, Operating Department Practitioner, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy.
This course prepares you for a rewarding career the management of health, care, and other related services. Through a comprehensive curriculum, you will gain the knowledge and skills necessary to excel in this field. From administration to management, you will be equipped to lead and make a positive impact on the well-being of individuals and communities. With a focus on healthcare systems, ethics, and effective leadership, this programme paves the way for a fulfilling and impactful career.
This Higher Technical Qualification is approved against occupational standards decided by employers.
Learn more about Higher Technical QualificationsYear One Level 4
Modules
Transition to Higher Education (20 Credits)
Integrated Holistic Assessment and Development (20 Credits)
Essential Science (40 Credits)
Work Based Learning One (40 Credits)
Year Two Level 5
Modules
Transition to Professional Practice (40 credits)
Leadership and Management (20 Credits)
Promoting Health Wellbeing and Independence (20 Credits)
Work Based Learning Two (40 Credits)
You will be assessed through a range of methods including written assignments, reflections, practice documents and presentations.
There will be 400 workplace hours to complete over the duration of programme.
The primary way of delivering this course is on campus.
On campus teaching includes a combination of lectures, small group seminars, workshops, guest lectures and one to one discussion with your tutor. Students will be assessed in several ways throughout the degree programme, including written assignments, presentations, exams, practical deliveries, and case studies/practical consultations.
Contact time for students is over 1 day per week for the full-time route. This allows students to obtain work experience in the sector throughout the other days as well as conduct independent learning and assessment work. This also allows students to manage work and family commitments they may have during the course.
Students will receive approximately 8 hours of teaching time per week throughout the full-time course, depending on the modules being taken. Additional one-to-one meetings with tutors will provide further support. Students have the option to contact an additional support team to develop key study skills such as referencing and academic writing style. We have found this to be a very useful aspect of the course, especially for anyone who has had a break in education and is returning to studies, however the service is available for all students who attend the course.
This course is available in Clearing. If you have submitted an application, you can add this course. If you haven’t sent us an application yet, you can do this until 24th September 2026.
This is the equal consideration deadline. You can still apply after this date, but your application may not receive guaranteed consideration.
DN Colleges Group has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.
See why these ratings were awarded
What does this TEF outcome mean?
The following entry points are available for this course:
This course is not accepting applications from International students requiring a student visa.
Entry requirements would usually be one of the following:
One of the following:
48 UCAS Points (can be general studies)
Access to HE from a QAA recognised Access to HE course
Plus:
Normally, Maths and English at level 2 or above (grade 4, or previously C) or equivalents such as: level 2 adult numeracy/literacy level 2 key skills/application of number
Personal qualities:
You must be able to demonstrate through an informal discussion your potential to be caring and compassionate and the ability to develop meaningful relationships with colleagues, service users and carers.
DBS and placement:
As part of this programme of study you will be required to have a valid enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check. You will be required to pay the cost of this. You may be able to supply an existing DBS but this must be within 3 years of issue. A DBS must be in place before you start your placement. Please note: if your DBS comes back with a restriction which could stop you from accessing a placement you will not be able to complete the programme.
You must have the opportunity to complete 200 placement hours per year, either voluntary or in paid employment
Other information:
As part of this programme, you will be required to engage in practical/ experiential learning sessions. Please note: for these sessions you will be expected to have long hair tied back.
Students will be required to purchase a polo shirt in preparation for starting the programme.
We welcome applications from people of any age who might not meet the standard entry criteria, but we would expect to see evidence of recent work experience in the sector and a capacity to pursue the course successfully.
We are committed to creating educational opportunities for people from a variety of backgrounds and situations. If you have been out of formal education for some time, and/or you do not have the qualifications stated, we might still be able to consider your application and offer you a range of support. We are here to help. Please get in touch to find out more.
Find out more about qualification requirements for this course.
This section shows the range of grades that students who received offers were previously accepted on to this course with (learn more).
It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place.
Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.
We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.
This report uses your grades to show how students with similar results have done when applying to this course in the past. Sometimes, there isn’t data for every possible set of grades. When that happens, universities and colleges occasionally fill in the gaps for sets of grades that are typically accepted.
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Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.
Your Tuition fees cover most costs associated with your course (including registration, tuition and assessment)
There may be some extra costs that you might need to make, or choose to pay, for example:
• Books (you’ll have access to books from your module reading lists in the HE library, but you may want to buy your own copies)
• Printing and photocopying
• Trips and enhancement opportunities
Email:admissions@ucnl.ac.uk
Phone:01724 294125
Email:ucdonenquiries@don.ac.uk
Phone:01302 553553
The Hub
Chappell Drive
Doncaster
South Yorkshire
DN1 2RF
At DN Colleges Group
