Level 5 (HTQ) Healthcare Assistant Practitioner 2025-26

Please note: This course is NOT free. As this is a brand new course, the fees are currently to be confirmed. However, once confirmed, and subject to eligibility, you will have the option to pay the courses fees via an Advanced Learner Loan (Student Loan).

This course is highly practical and provides learners with the knowledge and industry experience to work in the Healthcare Assistant Practitioner role. Healthcare Assistant Practitioners are an essential part of health and care sector and provide patient assessment, support the co-ordination of person centred care as well as undertaking clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic activities.

Mandatory units include:

• Innovation and improvement through action research
• Reflective approaches in implementing person-centred practice
• Care planning processes in healthcare practice
• Recognising and meeting the needs of people with long-term health conditions
• Team and individual leadership: Mentoring and coaching others
• End of life care: Planning and support

The above units and selected pathway units will cover the concepts of:

• Professional practice and person-centred care
• Principles of health education
• Effective healthcare practice
• Principles of integrated care
• Safe and healthy work environments
• Meeting the needs of individuals with short- and long-term health conditions
• Care planning
• Legislation and regulatory requirements in health
• Reflective practice and developing own self and the service
• Types of assessments relating to diagnostic and clinical assessment
• Integrated working and partnership work
• Principles of infection, prevention control in a range of settings
• Applied anatomy and physiology
• National and local strategies for including public health
• Clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic interventions

Additional optional units allow learners to cover specialist aspects related to their industry placement.

Students can use these qualifications as a pathway into registered professional roles such as a nurse, dietician, physiotherapist or healthcare science practitioner to name a few. The services worked in include diagnostic services, rehabilitation, orthopaedics, end of life care, oncology, mental health and learning disabilities.

After successfully completing this Level 5 Higher National Diploma (HND) programme, students can progress into a range of employment opportunities working alongside registered professionals, in a range of settings such as hospitals, clinics or the community (e.g. GP Surgery) or visiting people in their homes and residential care settings.

Students can progress directly into employment as a Healthcare Assistant Practitioner in pathway job roles include:

Integrated Health & Social Care:
Senior care assistant, senior support worker in a range of health and care settings, pathway tracker, integrated support worker, care navigator or co-ordinator.

Public Health & Health Promotion:
Health educator, public health practitioner, wellbeing co-ordinator, voluntary sector field worker, research assistant or health improvement officer.

Healthcare Management:
Lower non-clinical managerial, co-ordinator and supervisory roles in healthcare administration, operation and support services, e.g. information, office, patient services, estates or health improvement services.

Higher Apprenticeship Standard:
Practitioner higher apprenticeship standard are completed as required. Assistant practitioner roles cover a range of areas of specialism, e.g. occupational therapy and operating theatre.

Further study options include using this qualification as a pathway to registered professional roles such as a nurse, dietician, physiotherapist or healthcare science practitioner.

Entry requirements will be reviewed during the course interview and relevant experience and employment will be considered as part of the application.

It is desirable that applicants have :

* A qualification at level 3 in Health, Care or Science
* Maths and English at Level 2 ( GCSE at grade 4/C or above in English and Maths

Our entry requirements are in place to support our students in achieving the qualifications they have chosen to study. In addition to the entry requirements, all students will be regularly assessed by East Durham College at an early stage in their study programme. This is to ensure that students are enrolled onto courses which suit their abilities – following assessment, there may be occasions when students are transferred to a relevant course at a higher or lower level in order to ensure they are enrolled on to the right course for them to achieve and progress.

Entry onto any course at EDC may have entry requirements in addition to exam results; this includes but is not limited to DBS checks, references, fitness to practice and at times physical requirements to be capable of achieving the practical elements of the course without assistance. Entry onto any course at East Durham College is subject to final approval from the Assistant Principal.

The course is internally assessed, through a range of assessment methods, in college and the workplace.

September 2025.

The course includes a range of college based sessions including simulation using the East Durham College healthcare ward, as well as completing industry experience in a healthcare setting.

The course will be completed across a two year academic period.