Edexcel Level 3 BTEC Nationals in Health and Social Care

UNIT 12: PUBLIC HEALTHEssential guidance for tutorsDeliveryLearners will need to understand the historical perspectives of the public healthsystem and relevant legislation before studying current patterns of ill health andfactors that can affect the health of the population.Learners should be encouraged to look at topical health issues highlighted in themedia to build up an awareness of up-to-date issues and how they are being dealtwith. Guest speakers would be useful to talk to learners about current issues. Centrescould ask current practitioners such as environmental health officers and infectioncontrol nurses to discuss current practice and government guidelines for publichealth issues.Patterns of ill health can be researched by using statistics from local healthauthorities, the World Health Organization, and the Government Office for NationalStatistics. The reports highlighted in the content section also give useful sources ofinformation.Learners will benefit from being encouraged to carry out internet research, and tobring their information into class to share with other members of the group. Learnerscould identify the current patterns of ill health and inequality in the UK bypresenting their findings verbally or in the form of a poster to other members of thegroup.Learners need to identify appropriate methods of prevention/control for a namedcommunicable disease and a named non-communicable disease. This provides anopportunity for them to research such diseases as are currently topical, which couldbe, for example, influenza, HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, lung cancer or coronary heartdisease.AssessmentEvidence to meet the requirements of the unit may be generated in a variety ofways, including reports, presentations, group discussions, or the production ofleaflets or posters. Centres need to be aware that if any evidence is presented asgroup work, each individual learner should also have their own evidence. Witnessstatements may be useful here to substantiate evidence.Learners need to explain key aspects of public health in the UK, and then its originsin the UK, looking at the Beveridge report and other historical perspectives as givenin the contents section of the unit. Current patterns of ill-health and inequality needto be identified as do the factors that affect health. Methods of promoting andprotecting public health need to be identified and related to two named diseases,one communicable and one non-communicable.These themes are developed through the merit and distinction grades, to achievewhich learners need to demonstrate higher levels of explanation and evaluation.BN018467 – Specification – Edexcel Level 3 BTEC Nationals in Health and Social Care– Issue 1 – February 2007 © Edexcel Limited 2007173