Course in brief

Health and social care is a growing area. As more emphasis is placed on health promotion in our society, there is an ever-increasing demand for qualified health and social care practitioners.

This foundation degree is suitable for you if you are currently working in a health or social care setting and want to develop your knowledge and skills in preparation to undertake assistant and associate practitioner roles.

The course is designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge that you need to administer high-quality, safe and compassionate care in one of the rewarding careers under the umbrella of health and social care. 

There are a number of optional modules to choose from throughout the degree. This gives you the freedom to tailor your studies to suit your personal and professional aims.

The course has an applied focus, with practice-based learning making up 50 per cent of the qualification, so that you can apply and consolidate your classroom-based knowledge through your practical work.

The values of the NHS constitution are embedded in our curriculum; where patients come first in everything the NHS does, and include respect and dignity, compassion and working together for patients. 

We have a dedicated team of academic staff who are actively engaged in internationalising the nursing and midwifery curriculum, and we offer all our students the chance to experience practice in another country.

Key facts

Location Brighton: Falmer

UCAS code Not applicable. Apply direct to the university. Download your application form from the 'Entry requirements' section below.

Full-time 2 years

Brighton is ranked 3rd in the Guardian University Guide 2017 for health professions

We are a top 10 university for world-leading research impact in allied health professions, nursing and pharmacy (REF 2014)

Entry requirements

Entry requirements

The entry requirements listed here are our typical offer for this course if you wish to begin studying with us in 2017. They should be used as a general guide.

We operate a flexible admissions policy – this means that you could receive a lower conditional offer than the typical offer, informed by our assessment of your complementary non-academic achievements and experiences. For courses that require interview or portfolio review, this may also be considered in the level of any conditional offer that follows if your application is successful.

All candidates must:

  • Be working in a suitable health or social care environment (minimum 15 hours a week), have employer support and a guarantee of work-based supervision from an appropriately qualified work-based supervisor with a minimum of one year post-registration experience.

In addition candidates need to meet the following entry criteria:

  • Either three GCSEs at grade C or above including English, and mathematics or a science subject

Or one of the following:

  • One A-level in English, maths, science or social science
  • BTEC National Diploma (pass) or Certificate (merit)
  • Open University course in a health or social care-related subject such as SDK125
  • Advanced apprenticeship in health and social care
  • Subject-related NVQ level 3 (With key skills in mathematics and English)

And

  • Candidates also should have evidence of study at QAA level 2 within the last five years.
  • Other qualifications that have equivalence to the above will be considered by the course leader.

For non-native speakers of English
IELTS 6.0 overall (6.0 in writing)

How to apply
Download and complete the application form and reference form. Please note that failure to send references with the application form will delay or halt the application process.

Once you have completed the forms, you will need to send them via email to the addresses below: 

Course in detail

Course structure

You are required to attend university one day a week during term-time, and the equivalent of two days a week in supported/supervised practice. 

You will spend approximately 30 per cent of your course time at the university, 40 per cent in practice undertaking skills and role development, and 30 per cent undertaking independent, guided or private study.

Induction takes place during the first week, during which we provide you with information about the course and the wider university support mechanisms and university life (Student’s Union, Fresher’s Fair etc.). 

Syllabus

Our course team recognises that students come from a diverse background within NHS hospitals, community NHS and social care settings, including the private and voluntary sector, and so our course subjects cover a number of different areas. Subjects focus across the age spectrum on different service user groups and types of care from acute to long-term care.

Year 1 

The focus of the first Semester is on study skills, the transition from the workplace to Higher Education (University), and communication skills.

The study skills module explores: Writing academic essays, learning styles, time management, IT, reflective writing, effective studying techniques and numeracy skills. This runs alongside the Communication module and skills sessions. In practice, you will complete a number of ‘Core’ skills related to practice and role development.

The second semester modules ‘Legal and Ethical Foundations of Health and Social Care’ and ‘Anatomy and physiology to support health and social care practice’ focus on developing your knowledge and understanding of these key areas related to your practice. Additional skills sessions are built into the semester either within the classroom (knowledge based) or practice skills rooms (simulated practice based).

Modules

  • Study Skills for Health and Social Care Practice
  • Communication in Health and Social Care Practice
  • Anatomy and Physiology to Support Health and Social Care Practice
  • Legal and Ethical Foundations of Health and Social Care
  • Work-Based Learning

Year 2 

The focus of the second year is enhanced practice development towards associate and assistant practitioner roles. 

Skills on which you are assessed will be negotiated in partnership with the employer, are closely related to your job description, and are applied to your developing role in the work environment. You also have opportunities to develop your skills in the simulated environments that are available at the university. 

You will develop research awareness and knowledge in the ‘Using evidence as a basis for practice' module in the first semester, and undertake a ‘work based learning’ project throughout the year. The projects you will achieve are challenging but often lead to promoting positive practice and changes in the workplace.

During the second semester, you will choose one of the optional modules related to your broad area of practice in one of the following: acute care, community care or dementia care.

Modules

  • Using Evidence as a Basis for Practice
  • Project Planning
  • Work-based Project
  • Practice Skills Development

Plus one optional module from:

  • Acute Care
  • A Life Span Approach
  • People and Dementia

Facilities

Clinical Skills and Simulation Suite

Our state-of-the-art Clinical Skills and Simulation Suite is among the best equipped in the country, and proves to be an invaluable tool for assessment and monitoring students' progress throughout the course.
 
You will benefit from practising a range of nursing skills in an environment that simulates real-life professional experiences. Provided by the NHS’ South East Coast Ambulance Service, you may have access to our Simbulance, enabling you to work alongside paramedic students in an interprofessional learning environment. On board is a high fidelity manikin with multiple uses, and a child-size manikin for paediatric scenarios. 

Learning by simulation means you will be confident in your ability to apply your knowledge and skills in your day-to-day professional life.

nursing suite

Flexible Learning Environment 

The Flexible Learning Environment offers students an adapted home environment in a residential location where they can practise their skills and learn from other students while taking part in a unique and realistic training experience.

Every room is fitted with cameras and microphones, so that students can be directed and monitored from the control room while the observation room provides the opportunity to review, playback and debrief.

Study abroad

Pre-registration students

Currently we offer an exciting opportunity for all nursing and midwifery students to experience nursing and midwifery in another country and also gain academic credit. Most experiences are for approximately two to four weeks with one of our 27 partner colleges throughout Europe and the USA. We offer preparation and provide support throughout the whole exchange experience.

There is also the chance for the more adventurous to undertake a three month Erasmus exchange placement in Denmark, Spain and Sweden with some free access to language preparation. Please ask at interview if you are interested in this or contact a member of the admissions team for more information. Find out which of our Erasmus partner universities are open to nursing and midwifery students.

For further information about Erasmus please visit the university's study exchange pages. 

We receive international students from our established European and American partner institutions, so even if you are unable to travel it is likely you will meet students from different countries.

 

We have established key links with locally based non-governmental organisations that work internationally, with international recruitment agencies and with the Tropical Health Education Trust and all of these partnerships contribute to our Biannual International Perspectives Conference that we host and is free for all our students.

All students who take part in any international experience identify the immense value of the experience, whether through hosting visiting students or actually participating in an exchange. We share all students' experiences through our newsletters and through the student ambassador project.

If you wish to learn more about these opportunities you are welcome to discuss this at interview.

For further information on our European partners and network please visit the European Nursing Module Network website.

Careers and employability

Graduates in most cases have their foundation degree award linked to assistant or associate practitioner status (for example, Band 4 NHS pay scale).

Graduates are normally in their own area of work and use the foundation degree as a stepping stone for career development within their own organisation.

Entry to our Nursing BSc(Hons) (Adult, Child or Mental Health)

Successful completion of the first year of this course qualifies you to apply for our Nursing BSc(Hons) to start in year 1, while completing year 2 of the foundation degree (with 120 credits at level 5) means that you could start in year 2.

Nurse and doctor using diagnostic equipment

Fees and funding

Your fees

This course, which provides professional development for qualified health practitioners, is not currently affected by the recent government changes to funding for new students starting health courses in 2017.

Students are usually sponsored and employed by a trust or organisation which enables them to meet the university's attendance requirements. Sponsorships are currently available for trusts or organisations where there is some NHS paid care.

The fees listed here are for full-time courses beginning in the academic year 2016–17. Further tuition fees are payable for each subsequent year of study and are subject to an annual increase of no more than 5% or RPI (whichever is the greater). The annual increase for UK/EU students, who are subject to regulated fees, will increase no more than the statutory maximum fee. Further details regarding tuition fees are available from the university’s student contract and tuition fee policy (pdf).

The tuition fee you have to pay depends on a number of factors including the kind of course you take, and whether you study full- or part-time. If you are studying part-time you will normally be charged on a pro rata basis depending on the number of modules you take.

What's included in the fee?

When costs such as health or DBS checks, field trips or use of specialist materials are incurred as a mandatory requirement of the course they are included in your tuition fee.

You may incur additional costs depending on the optional modules or activities you choose. The cost of optional activities is not included in your tuition fee and you will need to meet this cost in addition to your fees. Before you apply check with the school that provides your course using the contact details in the Find out more tab (at the end of this page) for advice about what is included and what optional costs you could face so you can budget accordingly.

See our finance pages for advice about funding and scholarships as well as further information about fees and advice on international and island fee paying status.

 

 

Location and living here

Location

About Brighton

Brighton has been called the happiest place in the UK, and it’s easy to see why. With five miles of pebble beach, more than 300 pubs and a packed festival calendar, Brighton is the ideal place to spend your student years.

Arts and culture: The Royal Pavilion is the most famous landmark in Brighton, opening its doors to around 400,000 tourists every year. Right next door is the Brighton Dome, the south coast’s premier multi-arts venue, and the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, which holds a diverse collection of decorative arts, textiles and archaeological artefacts.

Festivals: The Brighton Festival is now the largest arts festival in England and a major milestone in the international cultural calendar. Meanwhile, The Great Escape has been established as the UK’s leading event for new music, with over 300 bands playing 30 venues across the city over three days.

Nightlife: Aside from the many nightclubs that line the city’s seafront, student favourites include The Haunt, Concorde 2 and Patterns, which attract leading bands and DJs from around the world. If you don’t feel like dancing, you can take your pick from the many hundreds of pubs and bars that dot the city centre.

Shopping: The quirky North Laine district houses Brighton’s finest collection of boutique shops and independent cafes, while the narrow, winding streets of the South Lanes house collections of jewellery and antiques. Churchill Square is the city’s main shopping centre and serves all of your high street needs.

Sports: Brighton’s seaside location offers the perfect opportunity to try paddle boarding, kayaking and windsurfing. Further into the city, The Level has a skate park for skateboarders and BMX riders to practise their skills.

Brighton Wheel   What to expect enriching experiences

Campus where this course is taught

Falmer campus

Surrounded by the South Downs National Park and just five miles from the centre of Brighton, our Falmer campus has benefited from over £60million of investment over the past 10 years. 7,000 students are based here, studying subjects including English, education, social science, nursing and medicine.

Recent developments include the Falmer Sports Centre – with its fitness suites and sports hall – and the innovative Checkland Building, which has natural ventilation systems and an insulating green roof.

Falmer has also recently installed more than 600 solar panels, which reduce the campus’s carbon emissions by more than 80 tonnes. The renovation has made us one of the top universities in the UK for on-site renewable energy production.

Accommodation

Brighton

Our Brighton halls of residence are located across the city in Grand Parade, Moulsecoomb, Varley Park and Falmer.

Our Grand Parade campus is in central Brighton and has one hall of residence, Phoenix Brewery, within walking distance. We have around 300 rooms available in Phoenix Brewery, which are all ensuite and self-catered.

Moulsecoomb is two miles from the city centre and also has one hall of residence, Moulsecoomb Place, on campus. All accommodation in Moulsecoomb Place is catered, offering breakfast and an evening meal during term time. There are more than 150 rooms available here, with six to eight rooms per flat.

Varley Park offers the biggest choice of student accommodation with ten halls of residence. The site is four miles from Brighton centre but within walking distance of Falmer train station. You can also catch a free bus service to Grand Parade, Moulsecoomb and Falmer campuses, which is operated by local bus service The Big Lemon.

Falmer campus has two halls of residence: Great Wilkins and Paddock Field. Great Wilkins offers 150+ self-catered single rooms and one-bed couples flats, while Paddock Field offers 450+ catered and self-catered single rooms only. All rooms in Falmer are en-suite.

Aside from halls, you have the option of Unihomes, which we let out to our students on behalf of private landlords. The rent covers all utilities and includes £5,000 of contents insurance for your personal belongings.

You can also choose to join the many students who live away from campus in private rented accommodation. We have a list of high-quality, university-endorsed private sector accommodation and can help you find housemates to move in with.

If you have any questions about accommodation in Brighton, our accommodation team will be happy to help. You can contact them by email at accommodation@brighton.ac.uk or by telephone on 01273 644100.

Paddock Field

Moulsecoomb Place


  

Maps

house Accommodation
campus University building

Falmer campus and Brighton and Sussex Medical School map

 

Unistats

Unistats and key information sets

Unistats is an organisation that collects specific data about university courses in the UK which enables you to compare information that is important in your decision-making when choosing a university. All universities publish Unistats data on their online course pages.

Wherever we can we have provided extra information here to help put the data into context so that it is as useful as possible when you are making decisions.

Programme specification

Programme specifications are the official university documents that describe each course in detail. They reflect the course as it is being taught to students who started their course in this academic year. They are updated every summer, and give a very detailed breakdown of what your course might look like.

Programme specification

Find out more

School of Health Sciences
01273 644042
namcpeadmissions@brighton.ac.uk

You are also welcome to contact course leader Julian Seal: J.D.Seal@brighton.ac.uk

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Student views  

Davina Lovell

"My university experience hasn't just taught me facts, figures and theories; it’s allowed me to grow, to become more open minded and to consider aspects of care that I didn't even know existed before. The depth of my knowledge now as I graduate in comparison to that on day one has grown so significantly I'm still astounded. Most importantly this growth and development is now benefitting the patients I care for and making a difference.

"Additionally the support I received from university staff was truly exceptional. Their commitment and passion encouraged success and inspired me to continue with my learning journey by applying for a second university course."

Davina was student of the year in her first year and also reintroduced the 'lone worker in the community policy' as part of her university project. This has made a great difference in ensuring safety and high quality of care within her NHS trust.

Davina Lovell

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