Understand the Services available to support choice for people using Care Navigation Services
This subtopic focuses on the diverse services accessible through Care Navigation, enabling informed choices for individuals. It distinguishes between clinical services like GP referrals and non-clinical support such as housing or social activities, highlighting how holistic care coordination promotes independence. Learners explore the critical use of access criteria to ensure safe, appropriate referrals and the value of obtaining feedback to continuously improve service delivery and person-centred outcomes.
Assessment criteria
Topic Overview
The SEG Awards Certa Level 2 Extended Award in Care Navigation is a vocational qualification designed to equip learners with the essential skills and knowledge required to guide individuals through health and social care systems. Care navigation involves helping patients, service users, and their families access appropriate services, understand their care options, and coordinate appointments and referrals. This qualification covers key areas such as communication, person-centred care, confidentiality, and the roles of different health and social care professionals.
In today's complex healthcare landscape, care navigation has become increasingly important. It ensures that individuals receive timely and appropriate support, reducing delays and improving outcomes. This qualification is particularly relevant for those working in reception, administration, or support roles within GP surgeries, hospitals, community health teams, or social care settings. By completing this award, students develop practical skills in signposting, active listening, and record-keeping, which are directly applicable to real-world care environments.
The Extended Award is part of a broader suite of qualifications in care navigation, building on foundational knowledge and allowing learners to specialise further. It aligns with the UK's Health and Social Care standards, including the Care Act 2014 and the NHS Constitution, ensuring that students understand their legal and ethical responsibilities. This qualification is ideal for those seeking to enhance their employability or progress to higher-level studies in health and social care.
Key Concepts
Core ideas you must understand for this topic
- →Person-centred care: Tailoring support to the individual's needs, preferences, and values, ensuring they are active participants in their care decisions.
- →Effective communication: Using active listening, clear language, and appropriate questioning techniques to build rapport and gather accurate information.
- →Confidentiality and data protection: Understanding the principles of the Data Protection Act 2018 and GDPR, and knowing when and how to share information with consent.
- →Signposting and referral pathways: Identifying the correct services (e.g., mental health support, social services, specialist clinics) and guiding individuals through the process of accessing them.
- →Multi-disciplinary teamwork: Collaborating with GPs, nurses, social workers, and other professionals to coordinate seamless care transitions.
Learning Objectives
What you need to know and understand
- Understand the services accessible through Care Navigation services.Understand the range of clinical and non-clinical services which may be accessed through Care Navigation services.Understand the importance of using specific access criteria to ensure appropriate referral to services. Understand the importance of obtaining feedback.
Assessment Criteria
Key criteria assessors look for in your portfolio
- Award credit for accurately identifying and listing at least five distinct service types available through care navigation, covering both clinical (e.g., district nursing, physiotherapy, mental health services) and non-clinical options (e.g., befriending, debt advice, community transport).
- Award credit for clearly explaining the difference between clinical and non-clinical services, with correct examples, demonstrating understanding of how each supports an individual's health and well-being holistically.
- Award credit for demonstrating the ability to apply access criteria by explaining that criteria such as eligibility, urgency, or professional referral protocols ensure appropriate service matching, minimise risks, and optimise resource use.
- Award credit for articulating the importance of obtaining feedback, including specific methods (surveys, care reviews, informal conversations) and how feedback drives service improvement, enhances personalisation, and empowers service users.
- Award credit for showing awareness of confidentiality and data protection considerations when making referrals and collecting feedback, referencing relevant legislation like GDPR where appropriate.
Assessment Guidance
Guidance for achieving higher grades
- 💡Use realistic case studies to illustrate your answers: describe a scenario where you would identify both a clinical and a non-clinical service, justify with access criteria, and explain how you’d gather feedback.
- 💡Always link your explanations back to person-centred values: show how each action empowers individuals, respects their choices, and promotes their well-being.
- 💡When discussing access criteria, mention safeguarding and equality: highlight how criteria prevent discrimination and ensure those most in need access services fairly.
- 💡For feedback questions, structure your response to cover why, when, how, and with whom – demonstrating a systematic approach to service user engagement and continuous improvement.
- 💡Prepare a mental map of local services (or hypothetical ones) including eligibility rules; this helps you rapidly generate specific examples under exam conditions.
- 💡Use real-life examples to illustrate how you would apply care navigation principles, such as a scenario where a patient needs referral to a specialist. This shows practical understanding.
- 💡Memorise key legislation (e.g., Care Act 2014, Mental Capacity Act 2005) and explain how they influence care navigation decisions. Examiners look for links to legal frameworks.
- 💡In written answers, structure your response using the 'STAR' method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to demonstrate clear, logical thinking and problem-solving skills.
Common Mistakes
Common errors to avoid in your coursework
- Failing to distinguish between clinical and non-clinical services, or assuming all care navigation referrals are for medical issues only, overlooking the breadth of social prescribing.
- Omitting the necessity of access criteria, leading to assumptions that any service can be accessed without assessment, risking inappropriate referrals or missed safeguarding opportunities.
- Confusing feedback with complaints, and not recognising that routine feedback is proactive and essential for quality improvement, not just reactive problem-solving.
- Neglecting to consider the person’s own perspective and consent in the referral or feedback process, undermining person-centred practice principles.
- Misconception: Care navigation is just about giving directions. Correction: It involves holistic support, including emotional reassurance, explaining complex information, and advocating for the individual's needs.
- Misconception: Confidentiality means never sharing any information. Correction: Information can be shared with consent or when there is a legal or safeguarding duty, but always on a need-to-know basis.
- Misconception: Care navigation is only for elderly patients. Correction: It is relevant for all age groups, including children, adults with disabilities, and those with mental health conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions students ask about this topic
Pass / Merit / Distinction Evidence Checklist
How your portfolio evidence is graded for OPEN COLLEGE NETWORK YORKSHIRE AND HUMBER REGION TRADING AS CERTA Understand the Services available to support choice for people using Care Navigation Services
Every vocational unit is marked against named criteria rather than an exam percentage. Your tutor's brief lists the exact codes for this unit — here is what each band is asking you to do.
Demonstrate baseline knowledge, accurate terminology, and core practical application.
Provide detailed analysis, structured explanations, and clear workplace reasoning.
Deliver thorough evaluation, original problem solving, and fully justified recommendations.
Before You Start
Prior knowledge that will help with this topic
- •Basic understanding of the UK health and social care system, including the roles of the NHS and local authorities.
- •Familiarity with communication skills, such as active listening and questioning techniques, often covered in Level 1 qualifications.
- •Awareness of confidentiality and data protection principles, as these are fundamental to care navigation.
Coursework AI Review
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Key Terminology
Essential terms to know
- Understand the services accessible through Care Navigation services.Understand the range of clinical and non-clinical services which may be accessed through Care Navigation services.Understand the importance of using specific access criteria to ensure appropriate referral to services. Understand the importance of obtaining feedback.
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