Level 3 Diploma in Health and Social Care
Seven units at 60 credits, three of them on specific conditions you will meet in almost any adult care setting: diabetes, stroke and dementia. A Level 3 diploma with more clinical content than the foundation diploma and a clear line to Level 4 health study.
Its 60 credits add nothing to a points total and will not satisfy a university offer expressed in points. What it does lead to is a Level 4 diploma delivered by London School of Planning and Management (LSPM), or first-year university entry where a university chooses to allow it. If you need Tariff points, this diploma is the wrong programme for you.
At a glance
- Level3 (RQF)
- Credits60
- Total qualification timeSee specification
- Guided learning hoursSee specification
- Awarding bodyQualifi
- Ofqual number603/0819/9
- Units7 mandatory, 0 optional
- UCAS TariffNone
- Duration9 months (standard) or 6 months (fast track)
- Study modesOnline, Blended, Evening classes
- FeesFrom £999 (9 months, standard) or £1,299 (6 months, fast track)
- Next intakeRolling intake — course starts when the fee is paid
Level, credits, hours, Ofqual number and unit list are taken from the Qualifi qualification specification (PDF) and the Ofqual register. Duration, study modes, fees and intake dates are set by LSPM, not by this site, and are confirmed by its admissions team.
Photograph slot, to be supplied by LSPM and taken at its own premises (this site has no campus): a learner annotating a printed case study about a person living with dementia, a mug of tea and a highlighter beside it.
In brief
What sets this Qualifi diploma apart from the OTHM foundation diploma in the same subject is the second half of the unit list. After An introduction to Health and Social Care, Communication for Health and Social Care, Promoting Health in the Population and Person-Centered Care, you study Understanding Diabetes Care, Understanding Stroke Care and Understanding Dementia Care. Those three condition-specific units give the programme a practical edge that many learners working in care find immediately useful.
Qualifi's entry wording welcomes learners with Level 2 qualifications, work experience in the sector, or a Level 3 in another discipline, and the diploma sits at 60 credits. Per-unit credits and total qualification time are not published in a form we can quote, so those fields show as see specification with a link to the PDF.
Written by Education adviser, CogniPath Education. Not by LSPM. Facts checked against the awarding body specification and the Ofqual register, September 2026.
Who it suits, and who it does not
A good fit if you are
- Care workers who deal with diabetes, stroke or dementia daily and want to understand the conditions properly.
- Learners who want more clinical content than a foundation diploma offers before Level 4.
- People with a Level 3 in another subject moving into care.
- School leavers with a clear interest in adult care rather than children's or early years work.
Look elsewhere if you are
- Anyone who needs UCAS Tariff points for a university offer.
- Applicants to nursing, midwifery or allied health degrees, whose requirements this diploma does not meet.
- Workers who need a competence-based occupational award for their employer; the Adult Care diplomas are closer.
- Learners who would rather keep their subject open, for whom the general foundation diploma is better.
What you study
seven mandatory units. There are no optional units, so every learner on the programme covers the same ground.
| # | Unit | Type | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | An introduction to Health and Social Care | Mandatory | See spec. |
| 2 | Communication for Health and Social Care | Mandatory | See spec. |
| 3 | Promoting Health in the Population | Mandatory | See spec. |
| 4 | Person-Centered Care | Mandatory | See spec. |
| 5 | Understanding Diabetes Care | Mandatory | See spec. |
| 6 | Understanding Stroke Care | Mandatory | See spec. |
| 7 | Understanding Dementia Care | Mandatory | See spec. |
| Total | 7 units | 60 |
Unit titles and credit values from the Qualifi qualification specification (PDF). Where the specification does not state a credit value for a unit, the cell reads See spec.
LSPM teaches the four general units first as a block, then the three condition units in the order diabetes, stroke, dementia, because each introduces a more complex care relationship than the last and the dementia unit benefits from everything before it.
Entry requirements
Qualifi sets the formal entry criteria for this qualification and LSPM, as the approved centre, applies them when it admits learners. As published by the awarding body:
- Learners who possess Qualifications at Level 2 and/or; QUALIFI Level 3 Diploma in H&SC Learner Guide December 2016 10
- Learners who have work experience in the health and social care sector and demonstrate ambition with clear career goals;
- Learners who possess a level 3 qualification in another discipline and want to develop their careers in health and social care.
Any of Qualifi's three routes in is fine: a Level 2, relevant work, or a Level 3 in something else. LSPM looks for written English that can sustain a structured report and, ideally, some contact with a care setting, though a placement is not required.
Source: the Qualifi qualification specification (PDF), which is the definitive statement of the awarding body's criteria. LSPM's admissions team decides eligibility; ask us first if you are unsure whether you meet them.
How you are assessed
Assignment for each of the seven units. The condition-specific units are assessed through case-based reports: you are given a person's history and asked to set out their care needs and how a person-centred plan would meet them. No examinations. Quality assured by Qualifi.
Assessment is regulated by Qualifi under Ofqual's conditions. How awarding bodies and regulation work.
Where it leads: progression to Level 4
From here the next step is Level 4 health and social care study at LSPM. The condition units are good preparation for Level 4 modules on long-term conditions and on managing care, and the Promoting Health in the Population unit leads naturally into public health content.
No UCAS Tariff points attach to this diploma. It is not a route into nursing or other regulated health degrees, which have their own entry rules. Whether a health studies degree would admit a holder to its first year is for each university to decide; the designed route is Level 4 at LSPM.
If you want to compare Level 4 subjects in health and social care before committing to this diploma, our sibling site level4diploma.org is written for exactly that question.
Questions about this programme
Are the diabetes, stroke and dementia units clinical training?
They teach you to understand each condition, its impact on the person and their family, and what good care looks like. They do not qualify you to administer medication or carry out clinical procedures; those require employer training and supervision.
How does this compare with the OTHM Level 3 Foundation Diploma in Health and Social Care?
Both are 60 credits and both lead to Level 4. The OTHM foundation diploma covers general care principles across six units. This Qualifi diploma has seven units and spends three of them on specific conditions. If you work in adult care already, this one is usually the better fit.
Does it give me UCAS points?
No. Like every Level 3 diploma on this site it is regulated by Ofqual but has no UCAS Tariff value. Progression is to Level 4 at LSPM.
Why does the entry requirement text mention a learner guide from 2016?
The wording is quoted as published in Qualifi's documentation, which includes a stray reference to an older learner guide. We reproduce awarding body text exactly rather than tidying it. The requirement itself is simply a Level 2 qualification or equivalent experience.
Also in Health and Social Care
Not sure which route fits? Ask someone who will tell you straight.
We are an independent agent, not LSPM's sales team, and we will say whether a UCAS application, an Access course or a Level 3 diploma is the better option for you, even when the answer earns this site nothing. Replies within two working days.