Level 5 Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care

It does not, and that needs saying clearly. Qualifi publishes nothing about registration, licensing or permission to practise for this award, and no statement on its page suggests otherwise. Who may hold which role in care is decided by the regulator in your country, not by an awarding body. What you gain is regulated, assessed knowledge at Level 5 that an employer can verify — valuable, but a different thing from a licence.

It is the notional time Qualifi expects a typical learner to spend in total: taught sessions, reading, assignments, preparation and assessment added together. It is an estimate for comparing qualifications, not a schedule and not hours in a room. Someone studying part-time around shifts will spread those hours across far longer than someone studying intensively. Your centre sets the real calendar.

Qualifi's wording is that it "envisages" learners entering the Level 5 Diploma will hold a Level 4 qualification. Envisaged is deliberately softer than required, and the page also says centres are responsible for judging whether an applicant can meet the demands of the programme. If your background is mostly experience rather than certificates, put the case to the centre rather than ruling yourself out.

Very little, by design. Look at what the subjects are: policy, sociology, quality management, managing people, partnership working, research. The outcomes talk about critical analysis and arguing a case with specialists. This is the thinking and supervising layer above direct care, built for people who already know the practical work. If you want additional practical care training, this is not that qualification.

Because the specification covers Qualifi's Level 4 and Level 5 care diplomas in one document, and study skills belong to the earlier part of that journey. It is also simply sensible. Many people entering this award last sat an exam a decade or more ago, and being taught how to reference, structure an argument and read critically before being assessed on those things is fairer than assuming it.

Qualifi names one route: the final year of an honours degree. At 240 credits that is a credible position to be in, but the university decides whether to admit you and on what terms — Qualifi makes that caveat explicit elsewhere in its Level 5 range. If a degree is the plan, speak to admissions tutors before you enrol here, not after.