T-Levels Health (Adult Nursing and Healthcare Support) Syllabus

Health (Adult Nursing and Healthcare Support) syllabus — full chapter and topic list

Expand any chapter to see its topics and sub-topics. This is the whole examinable outline for Health (Adult Nursing and Healthcare Support) in T-Levels, not a summary of it.

1. 1

   Core: Working within the Health and Science Sector

   4 topics

   • Roles, organisations and the wider sector
     • Structure of the NHS and care providers
     • Multidisciplinary team working
   • Health, safety and environmental regulation
     • Health and Safety at Work Act and RIDDOR
     • COSHH and risk assessment
   • Managing information and data in health
     • Confidentiality and information governance
     • Record keeping standards
   • Ethics, equality and good scientific/clinical practice
2. 2

   Core: Human Body Systems and Health

   4 topics

   • Cells, tissues and body organisation
     • Cell structure and transport mechanisms
     • Tissue types and organ systems
   • Major body systems and their function
     • Cardiovascular and respiratory systems
     • Digestive, renal and nervous systems
   • Homeostasis and physiological measurement
     • Temperature, blood pressure and pulse
     • Feedback mechanisms
   • Health, disease and lifestyle factors
3. 3

   Core: Person-Centred Care and Communication

   4 topics

   • Principles of person-centred care
     • Dignity, respect and individual rights
     • Care planning and consent
   • Communication skills in care settings
     • Verbal, non-verbal and written communication
     • Communication aids and barriers
   • Safeguarding and mental capacity
     • Types of abuse and reporting duties
     • Mental Capacity Act and best interests
   • Health promotion and behaviour change
4. 4

   Occupational Specialism: Supporting the Adult Nursing Team

   4 topics

   • Assisting with assessment and care planning
   • Supporting activities of daily living
     • Nutrition, hydration and mobility
     • Personal care and continence
   • Clinical observations and monitoring
     • Vital signs and early warning scores
     • Sample collection and recording
   • Infection prevention and control
5. 5

   Occupational Specialism: Supporting Healthcare Across Settings

   4 topics

   • Supporting people with long-term conditions
   • End of life and palliative care support
   • Promoting independence and rehabilitation
   • Working in community and primary care

Health (Adult Nursing and Healthcare Support) flashcards for T-Levels

25 of 57 cards from the Health (Adult Nursing and Healthcare Support) deck — real questions with worked answers.

1. In the UK health sector, what is the difference between primary, secondary and tertiary care?

   Primary care is the first point of contact (GPs, pharmacists, dentists, opticians). Secondary care is specialist hospital or community care usually accessed by referral (e.g. consultants, A&E). Tertiary care is highly specialised treatment for complex conditions (e.g. specialist cancer or cardiac centres).

2. Name three statutory health and care regulators in England and what each regulates.

   The Care Quality Commission (CQC) regulates and inspects care providers; the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) regulates nurses and midwives; the General Medical Council (GMC) regulates doctors. (Also the HCPC regulates allied health professionals.)

3. What is the role of NICE in the health sector?

   The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) produces evidence-based guidance, quality standards and recommendations on treatments, medicines and best practice for the NHS and social care.

4. Distinguish between the statutory, private and voluntary (third) sectors in health and care.

   Statutory: services the government is legally required to provide, mainly NHS and local authorities. Private: profit-making providers paid for by individuals or insurance. Voluntary/third sector: non-profit charities and community organisations (e.g. hospices, Age UK).

5. What is the purpose of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974?

   It is the primary UK legislation placing a general duty on employers to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, the health, safety and welfare of employees and others affected by their work; employees also have duties to take reasonable care and cooperate.

6. Under RIDDOR, what types of events must be reported and to whom?

   The Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 require reporting of specified workplace injuries, certain occupational diseases, dangerous occurrences (near-misses) and gas incidents to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

7. What does COSHH stand for and what does it require?

   Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations. It requires employers to assess, prevent or control exposure to hazardous substances (chemicals, biological agents) to protect workers' health.

8. What is the correct order for the waste hierarchy / how does the COSHH hierarchy of control prioritise risk reduction?

   Eliminate the hazard, then substitute, then engineering controls, then administrative controls, and finally personal protective equipment (PPE) as the last resort.

9. List the seven Caldicott Principles' core idea and name the role responsible for safeguarding patient information.

   The Caldicott Principles govern the use of confidential patient information (e.g. justify the purpose, use the minimum necessary, access on a need-to-know basis). The Caldicott Guardian is the senior person responsible for protecting patient confidentiality.

10. What are the six lawful bases for processing data and the role of the Data Protection Act 2018 / UK GDPR?

    UK GDPR (enacted via the Data Protection Act 2018) governs personal data. Lawful bases are: consent, contract, legal obligation, vital interests, public task and legitimate interests. Health data is 'special category' needing extra protection.

11. What does the principle 'confidentiality' mean in healthcare and when can it be lawfully breached?

    Keeping patient information private and only shared on a need-to-know basis. It may be breached when there is a risk of serious harm to the patient or others, a legal requirement, or where there is valid consent.

12. What are the four pillars (principles) of biomedical ethics?

    Autonomy (respecting the person's right to make their own decisions), beneficence (acting in the person's best interest), non-maleficence (do no harm) and justice (fairness and equality).

13. Under the Equality Act 2010, name the nine protected characteristics.

    Age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation.

14. What is the difference between direct and indirect discrimination?

    Direct discrimination is treating someone less favourably because of a protected characteristic. Indirect discrimination is a policy or practice that applies to everyone but puts people with a protected characteristic at a disadvantage.

15. What is meant by 'good clinical practice' (GCP) in research/care?

    An international ethical and scientific quality standard for designing, conducting and recording research involving humans, ensuring data are credible and the rights, safety and wellbeing of participants are protected.

16. List the four main types of tissue in the human body with an example of each.

    Epithelial tissue (e.g. skin lining, gut lining), connective tissue (e.g. bone, blood, cartilage), muscle tissue (e.g. cardiac, smooth, skeletal) and nervous tissue (e.g. neurons in the brain).

17. State the levels of organisation in the body from smallest to largest.

    Cells $\to$ tissues $\to$ organs $\to$ organ systems $\to$ organism.

18. Name the main organelles of an animal cell and one function of each: nucleus, mitochondria, ribosomes.

    Nucleus controls cell activities and contains DNA; mitochondria carry out aerobic respiration to produce ATP (energy); ribosomes synthesise proteins.

19. Write the word and balanced symbol equation for aerobic respiration.

    Glucose + oxygen $\to$ carbon dioxide + water (+ energy). $$\ce{C6H12O6 + 6O2 -> 6CO2 + 6H2O}$$

20. What are the main functions of the cardiovascular system and its three components?

    To transport blood, oxygen, nutrients, hormones and waste around the body. Components: the heart (pump), blood vessels (arteries, veins, capillaries) and blood.

21. Describe the path of blood through the heart starting from the vena cava.

    Vena cava $\to$ right atrium $\to$ tricuspid valve $\to$ right ventricle $\to$ pulmonary artery $\to$ lungs $\to$ pulmonary vein $\to$ left atrium $\to$ bicuspid (mitral) valve $\to$ left ventricle $\to$ aorta $\to$ body.

22. What is the main function of the respiratory system and where does gas exchange occur?

    To take in oxygen and remove carbon dioxide. Gas exchange occurs in the alveoli of the lungs by diffusion across the thin, moist alveolar walls.

23. Name the main organs of the digestive system in order.

    Mouth $\to$ oesophagus $\to$ stomach $\to$ small intestine (duodenum, jejunum, ileum) $\to$ large intestine $\to$ rectum $\to$ anus. Accessory organs: liver, pancreas, gallbladder.

24. What is homeostasis?

    The maintenance of a stable internal environment within narrow limits despite changes in external conditions, e.g. regulation of temperature, blood glucose, water and pH.

25. Explain negative feedback in homeostasis.

    A control mechanism where a change from the set point is detected by receptors, and the body responds via effectors to reverse the change and return the variable toward the set point (e.g. body temperature regulation).

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