Evaluating Care Services

Overview

Unit: Understanding Human Development
Lesson Number: 18 of 20
Duration: 60 minutes
Class Size: 10 students
Age Group: Year 11 (15-16 years)
National Curriculum (England) Reference:

• Health and Social Care Programme of Study:
  • Understand how health and social care services meet individual needs (KS4)
  • Analyse the impact of care services on individuals’ wellbeing (HSC framework)
  • Develop evaluative skills to measure effectiveness of care services (OCR/Edexcel BTEC HSC units relevant)

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Learning Objectives

By the end of the lesson, students will be able to:

1. Explain criteria used to evaluate health and social care services.
2. Assess the effectiveness of different services in meeting the needs of individuals.
3. Analyse the impact of care services on physical, emotional, and social wellbeing.
4. Apply evaluative frameworks to real-world care service scenarios.

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National Curriculum Links

• Key Stage 4 Health and Social Care programmes:
  • Develop critical thinking and evaluative skills in health and social care contexts.
  • Explore services available and their roles in supporting individuals.
  • Understand the influence of care services on promoting positive health outcomes.

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Resources Needed

• Whiteboard and markers
• Projector/screen
• Handouts with evaluation frameworks (e.g., CQC inspection framework simplified for students)
• Case study printouts (3 different health and social care service examples)
• Laptops/tablets (optional) for research
• Evaluation criteria checklist template (one per student)
• Flip chart paper and markers for group work

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Lesson Structure

Starter (10 minutes)

Title: Service Snapshots
Activity: Quick recall quiz using a digital tool (e.g., Kahoot or a simple whiteboard quiz) on types of health and social care services discussed in previous lessons.
Purpose: Reactivates prior knowledge, sets focus on evaluation.
Example Questions:

• Name two types of health care services.
• What is an outcome that health and social care services aim to improve?

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Introduction (10 minutes)

Title: What Makes a Good Care Service?

• Teacher-led discussion: Introduce key criteria used for evaluating services (e.g., accessibility, quality of care, responsiveness, efficiency, safety, dignity, impact on wellbeing).
• Show an adapted version of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) key lines of enquiry: safe, effective, caring, responsive, well-led – simplified for students.
• Display evaluation framework on screen and give handouts.

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Main Activity (30 minutes)

Title: Evaluating Real Services

1. Group work (3 groups of 3-4 students):
   • Each group receives a different case study of a health or social care service (e.g., a nursing home, children's social care support, mental health counselling centre).
   • Using the evaluation framework and checklist, groups assess the service’s effectiveness and impact on individual users as described in the case study.
   • Groups identify strengths and areas for improvement.
2. Teacher support: Circulate to prompt deeper thinking; questions like:
   • How does this service promote emotional wellbeing?
   • Are individuals’ needs fully met?
   • What impact does the service have on social integration or independence?
3. Creative element: Groups create a mini presentation or poster summarising their evaluation, including visual symbols representing their assessment (e.g., traffic light system, smiley/frowning faces).

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Plenary (10 minutes)

Title: Sharing Evaluations & Reflecting

• Groups share their mini presentations with the class.
• Whole class discussion on similarities and differences between service evaluations.
• Teacher asks reflective questions:
  • Why is it important to evaluate health and social care services?
  • How can evaluations improve the quality of care provided?
  • How might individuals benefiting from services feel about these evaluations?

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Assessment

• Formative: Observation of group discussions and evaluation presentations.
• Summative: Students individually complete a short written reflection (approx. 100 words) on the importance of evaluation in health and social care, linking to criteria learned and their group activity experience.

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Differentiation

• Support: Provide sentence starters and simplified evaluation checklist.
• Extension: Challenge higher ability students to suggest additional criteria for evaluation and justify why.

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Cross-Curricular Links

• English: Developing evaluative writing skills and presentation communication.
• PSHE: Exploring wellbeing and health promotion concepts.

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Teacher Notes for ‘Wow’ Factor

• Use real-world examples of CQC reports (simplified) to bring authenticity.
• Incorporate digital quizzes for interactive starter activity to engage all students.
• Encourage creative, visual feedback like icons or rating systems for presentations to cater to visual learners.
• Have students reflect on how their own experiences or local community services align with their evaluations.

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End of Plan