Assessment

Date Issued:
1st February, 2016

BTEC Higher National Diploma /

Certificate in Health and Social Care (QCF)

Unit Code

Unit:
Communicating in Health and Social Care
Organisations (unit 1)

Student ID

Lecturer: Team of lecturers

Internal Verifier:
Shirley Yearsley

T/601/1560

Submission Date:
5th May, 2016

Unit Leader: Olutoyin Hussain

Rules and regulations:
Plagiarism is presenting somebody elses work as your own. It includes: copying information
directly from the Web or books without referencing the material; submitting joint coursework as an
individual effort; copying another students coursework; stealing coursework from another student
and submitting it as your own work. Suspected plagiarism will be investigated and if found to have
occurred will be dealt with according to the procedures set down by the College. Please see your
student handbook for further details of what is / is not plagiarism.

Coursework Regulations
1.

Students are required to submit their coursework on-line through online e-learning system
http://stponline.org.uk. Detailed information about this is available in the student handbook submission
2.
Details of submission procedures and penalty fees can be obtained from Academic Administration or
the general student handbook.
Late coursework will be accepted by Academic Administration Office and marked according to the guide-lines
given in your Student Handbook for this year. Please note: The College policy on late submission is that
students should develop good time management skills which will not only benefit them during their
academic studies but also in future employment.
We are in future therefore going to limit grades on work that is submitted late or very late to a pass
grade even if the work itself is at a higher level.
This is to ensure that all students are treated equally, those who submit on time should not be put at
disadvantage by those students who take longer to submit the work but have the opportunity to gain a
higher grade.
The only exception to this are students who have verifiable extenuating circumstances.
Academic Administration WILL NOT issue extension forms to students unless they have written evidence from
an official source which confirms the students inability to submit on time. This would need to come from e.g: a
GP, Council. Hospital etc. and must be relevant to the time when submission was due. So if the student was in
Hospital 6 months ago this does not affect their current ability to submit.
Please DO NOT ask academic administration for an extension form unless you have verifiable evidence.
3.

If you need an extension (even for one day) for a valid reason, you must request one, using a
coursework extension request form available from the Academic Administration Office. Do not ask
the lecturers responsible for the course - they are not authorised to award an extension . The
completed form must be accompanied by evidence such as a medical certificate in the event of you
being sick.

February, 2016

Assignment brief: Communication in Health and Social Care Organisations

Page 1 of 9

Assessment
4.

General guidelines for submission of coursework:

a) All work must be word-processed and must be of good standard.
b) Document margins shall not be more than 2.5cm or less than 1.5cm
c) Font size in the range of 11 to 14 points distributed to including headings and body text. Preferred
typeface to be of a common standard such as Arial or Times New Roman for the main text.
d) Any computer files generated such as programme code (software), graphic files that form part of
the course work must be submitted either online with the documentation.
e) The copy of the course work submitted may not be returned to you after marking and you are
advised to have your personal copy for your reference.
f) All work completed, including any software constructed may not be used for any purpose other
than the purpose of intended study without prior written permission from St Patricks International
College.

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Assignment brief: Communication in Health and Social Care Organisations

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Assessment

Outcomes and assessment requirements

Outcomes

Assessment requirements

L1. Be able to
explore how
communication
skills are used
in health and
social care

L2. Understand
how various
factors
influence the
communication
process in
health and
social
care
L3. Be able to
explore the use
of information
and
communication
technology (ICT)
in health and
social care

To achieve each outcome a learner must demonstrate the

ability to:
1.1 Apply relevant theories of communication to health and social
care contexts
1.2 Use communication skills in a health and social care context
1.3 Review methods of dealing with inappropriate interpersonal
communication between individuals in health and social care
settings
1.4 Analyse the use of strategies to support users of health and
social care services with specific communication needs
2.1 Explain how the communication process is influenced by
values and cultural factors
2.2 Explain how legislation, charters and codes of practice impact
on the communication process in health and social care
2.3 Analyse the effectiveness of organisational systems and
policies in promoting good practice in communication
2.4 Suggest ways of improving the communication process in a
health and social care setting
3.1 Access and use standard ICT software packages to support
work in health and social care
3.2 Analyse the benefits of using ICT in health and social care for
users of services, care workers and care organisations.
3.3 Analyse how legal considerations in the use of ICT impact on
health and social care.

Breakdown of assignment:
Suggested word count for this essay is 3000 consisting of three main sections (1,000 words
per section) addressing the learning outcomes above. A certain allowance is made on top of
this (10 15%) by markers but part of academic ability is to be able to show that your work
is concise and to the point. If your work is significantly more than the suggested word count
your grade will be capped at pass.
In this assignment students must demonstrate their understanding of communication
principles, techniques and strategies used in a health and social care settings. Please refer
to the case study overleaf.
A copy of an essay format will be made available to students.
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Assessment

Essay Section 1 (LO: 1 LO: 2)

Case study: Hospital appointment
Hospital Appointment: Case study 1
Anna, a 35-year-old woman woke one morning, knowing something was very wrong.
She felt queasy and had a general feeling of doom. Her face would not work properly
and her arms and legs felt like lead weight. She made an effort to speak, but her
words were slurred, and she had a pounding headache. Her husband Paul got
increasingly frustrated as he spent 20 minutes trying to get through to a medical
emergency telephone number for help.
He finally gave up and rushed his wife to hospital, where they waited in Accident and
Emergency (A&E) for four hours, during which time one side of Annas face drooped
and she lost control of her bladder. No medical staff came to her assistance even
though Paul had asked the duty receptionist for help. When Anna eventually saw a
doctor, he appeared focused on one thing; how much alcohol Anna had consumed.
He accused Anna of being drunk, as she as could not sit upright in a chair, and could
see that she had wet herself. Anna was unable to speak, so she could not protest.
However, her husband told the doctor repeatedly that his wife had nothing to drink.
It was midday. The doctor responded by asking Paul to look at his wife Anna
slumped forward in her chair toward him.
The doctor, pulled away sharply with a look of disgust on his face. Paul insisted that
the doctor examine his wife. The doctor retorted by saying that too many drunks
take up the hospitals valuable time for dealing with real emergencies. During the
consultation no nurse was present.
No medical history was taken, and no medicine was prescribed. The doctor
discharged Anna, and pushed a cardboard bowl into her husbands hand in case his
wife was sick.
The consultation lasted about 10 minutes. Dissatisfied with this treatment, the
couple went to their general practitioner (GP) who sent them directly to a different
hospital, where Anna was diagnosed with a stroke.
For this case study you should be able to explore how communication skills are
used in health and social care.

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Assessment

HINTS:

In order to achieve assessment criterion 1.2; you must demonstrate how you
use your communication skills in your work place. (Health and Social Care
setting)
You must analyse the communication skills in this case study and benchmark
these skills against your own communication skills within the health and
social care.

You are expected to use the Hospital appointment case study above along with the
youtube video1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8mArKY0jUM Panorama Behind
Closed Doors Elderly Care Exposed BBC documentary 20141

Following reading the case study, watching the video and reflecting on practice attempt to
answer L01 and 2 paying particular attention to the command words in the assessment
requirements e.g analyze / review etc.
NOTE: in order to achieve assessment criterion 1.2, students must demonstrate how you
have used communication skills in health and social care settings.
Also by presenting evidence based materials from work place. (This may include a scan
copy of letter from workplace; detailing how student has explored communication skills in
1.2)

Essay Section 2 (LO:3)

This section covers the use of information and communication technology (ICT) in health
and social care. It should have approximately 1000 words.
NOTE: in order to achieve assessment criterion 3.1, it is imperative that you personally
access and use a standard software packages in health and social care.
You must state how you have accessed and used ICT in your work environment
either to: store patients data, order medications, share confidential information
among other health professionals or prepare staff work rotation and so on. This list
is not exhaustive
You must include a screenshot or scan a hard copy of the software used in your
organization and include in your essay. You need to show more than 1 example.

Watch the first 12 minutes of the video.

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Assessment
NB: You are also given the opportunity to achieve assessment criteria 1.2 and 3.1 in
Personal and Professional Development (PPD) course unit if you do not complete
here with proof of work product.
Coursework requirements:
To receive formative feedback on the essay it should be handed in on the 4th and 8th week
of the course.
Final submission date: 5th May, 2016
Higher Grade descriptors
The MERIT and DISTINCTION grade descriptors and their indicative characteristics need
to be viewed as a qualitative extension of the assessment criteria for PASS. Please see
below how certain assessment criteria for PASS have been linked to certain grade
descriptors for MERIT and DISTINCTION.
In order to achieve a merit in a unit

pass requirements achieved

all merit grade descriptors achieved

In order to achieve a distinction in

a unit

pass and merit requirements achieved

all distinction grade descriptors
achieved

MERIT descriptors:

Exemplar indicative characteristics

In order to achieve a merit;

the learner must:

The learners evidence shows for example:

M1 - identify and apply strategies to find

appropriate solutions

Effective judgments have been made

by:

OPPORTUNITIES TO GAIN M1
ARE IN YOUR WORK AT:

Offering solutions to difficult

communication issues linking the theories
of communication to situations
encountered in the case study and your
practice.

Learning Outcome 1, 2 and 3.

And by submitting work within the

timeframe given (i.e: Final Submission)

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Assessment

M2- select/design and apply

appropriate methods/techniques
A range of sources of information has been
used by providing appropriate references
throughout the work:
Using a mixture of sources including
books, websites and journals.
OPPORTUNITIES TO GAIN M2 ARE IN
Using Harvard referencing style.
YOUR WORK AT:
Learning Outcome 1, 2 and 3
M3 - present and communicate
A range of methods of presentation have
appropriate findings
been used and technical language has been
accurately used by:
OPPORTUNITIES TO GAIN M3 ARE IN
Demonstrating in a concise and succinct
YOUR WORK AT: Learning Outcome1,
way how content, process and perceptual
2 and 3.
skills are being used in work place. i.e:
ability in terms of non-verbal, relationshipcentred care approach and problemsolving skills. Your essay may contain
tables/ images etc. from the workplace
demonstrating these skills

DISTINCTION descriptors

Exemplar indicative characteristics

In order to achieve a
distinction the learner must:

The learners evidence shows for example:

D1 - use critical reflection to evaluate

own work and justify valid conclusions
OPPORTUNITIES TO GAIN D1 ARE IN
YOUR WORK AT:
Learning Outcome 1 and 2.
D2 - take responsibility for managing and
organising activities

Conclusions have been arrived at through

synthesis of ideas and have been justified by:

The student showing the ability to deal with

complex, multiple, work based issues showing a
depth of knowledge beyond that delivered within
the unit

Activities have been managed by:

OPPORTUNITIES TO GAIN D2 ARE IN

YOUR WORK AT:
Learning Outcome 1, 2, and 3
D3 - demonstrate convergent/lateral/
creative thinking

February, 2016

Demonstrating within your assignment how

you have managed your organization, team
and other professionals/subordinates.

.
innovation and creative thought have been
applied by:

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Assessment
OPPORTUNITIES TO GAIN D3 ARE IN
YOUR WORK AT:
Learning Outcome 1, 2 and 3.

And

February, 2016

Undertaking substantial investigation in

critically analyzing physical, cultural and legal
influences on communication.
Recommending appropriate solutions to
problems in using IT in health and social care
settings

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Assessment
Indicative reading for learners
Textbooks
Donnelly, E. and Neville, L. 2008. Communication and interpersonal skills. Exeter: Reflect
Press.
Dunhill, A., Elliott, B. and Shaw, A. (eds). 2009. Effective communication and engagement
with children and young people, their families and carers. Exeter: Learning Matters.
Glassman, W. G. and Hadad, M. 2008. Approaches to psychology. Milton Keynes: Open
University Press.
Hugman, B. 2009. Healthcare communication. London: Pharmaceutical Press.
Hill, A. and Shaw, I.. 2011. Social work and ICT. London: Sage.
Moss. B. 2012. Communication skills in health and social care. 2nd ed. London: Sage.
Platt, L. 2011. Understanding inequalities: Stratification and difference. London: Sage.
Stretch, B. 2007. Health and social care. Oxford: Heinemann.

Websites
Government services and information
www.gov.uk
Health and Safety
www.hse.gov.uk/healthservices/index.htm
Office for National Statistics
www.ons.gov.uk/
Social care
www.dh.gov.uk/health/category/policy-areas/social-care/

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