Access to Higher Education Diploma Health

A route to university without the complications

Please note: we have spaces available for our September 2023 intake, enrol early to avoid disappointment!

During your studies on this Access to Higher Education Diploma Health course, you'll study a range of healthcare-related subjects that will ease you into your degree.

In the first year of this course, you'll cover the basics of how to write a report and reference your work, as well as exploring the subject of human biology and various factors that affect human health. In your second year on the course, you will learn more about psychology, the fundamental principles of values-based healthcare, and how you can promote the health of your patients. This course is designed to provide in-depth, relevant learning materials with the end goal of studying a healthcare degree in mind. After completing this Access to Higher Education Health course, you'll feel fully prepared to study your chosen healthcare degree at university.

What does an Access to Higher Education diploma qualify you for?

This Access to Higher Education Health diploma is perfect for anyone hoping to become a nurse, midwife, paramedic, or healthcare professional. The equivalent of three A Levels, this is Access to Higher Education course will help you get on track to progress to university. We will also provide you with a guide on how to apply to university via UCAS. To find out more about this Access to HE Diploma in Health,  download our guide here.

Course Content

This course requires you to complete nine units over a two-year period.

Year 1: Unit 1 Researching and understanding opportunities for study in higher education

• Researching opportunities for progression to higher education.
• Opportunities available in higher education.
• Exploring your own aspirations.
• Implications of following a higher education course.
• Importance of work experience.

Year 1: Unit 2 Academic skills for Access to HE

• Key resources and planning your learning.
• Extracting key information from credible academic sources.
• Academic writing.
• Referencing.
• Academic integrity.

Year 1: Unit 3 Human biology

• Characteristics of human cells and tissues.
• Process of gaseous exchange and blood circulation.
• Process of digestion.
• Importance of homeostasis.

Year 1: Unit 4 Disease and the human immune response

• Factors that cause disease and their effects on human physiology.
• Genetic factors and disease.
• Environmental factors in human health.
• Structure and function of the body’s defences.
• Abnormal immune responses.

Year 1: Unit 5 Personal development and learning skills

• Learning styles.
• Exploring your personal development.
• Reflecting on your performance.

Year 2: Unit 6 Maths

• Basic operations with whole numbers, integers, fractions and decimals.
• Percentages.
• Using numbers in everyday situations.
• Metric and imperials systems of units.
• Basic rules for indices and numbers expressed in standard form.

Year 2: Unit 7 Psychology

• Scientific nature of psychology.
• Psychological perspectives.
• Work of prominent psychologists.
• Ethical issues in scientific investigation of human and/or animal behaviour.

Year 2: Unit 8 Value-based healthcare

• Fundamental principles of values-based healthcare.
• Values of care and application in a health setting.
• Values-based healthcare from a personal and non-personal perspective.
• Professional behaviours in health care.

Year 2: Unit 9 Health promotion

• Definitions of health.
• Factors influencing concepts of health and illness.
• Epidemiology in relation to health promotion.
• Delivering health promotion.
• Health promotion activity.