Level 6 Diploma in Health and Social Care Management
For the senior carer, team leader or deputy manager who already runs a service in all but title, and wants to be examined as a manager at bachelor's level. Six 20-credit units, 1,200 hours, awarded by OTHM.
Particulars
| Awarding body | OTHM Qualifications, an Ofqual-recognised awarding organisation |
|---|---|
| Level | 6 on the RQF; the level of an honours degree1 |
| Qualification type | Diploma. Not a degree. |
| Credits | 120, in six mandatory units of 20 |
| Total Qualification Time | 1,200 hours, of which 480 are Guided Learning Hours 2 |
| Ofqual number | 603/6820/23 |
| Duration | 9 months (standard) or 6 months (fast track) part-time; to be confirmed by LSPM |
| Study modes | Online, Blended, Evening classes (availability per intake to be confirmed) |
| Fees | From £999 (9 months, standard) or £1,299 (6 months, fast track) · how fees work |
| Next intake | Rolling intake — course starts when the fee is paid |
| Assessment | Written assignment per unit; no examinations |
The programmeWhat this diploma is
Care services are run, day to day, by people who rose through them. This OTHM diploma is written for those people at the point where running a shift or a unit is turning into running a service: when quality has to be defined and measured rather than felt, when resources have to be allocated and defended, when safety has to be assured across a team rather than practised by an individual, and when decisions have to be justified to a regulator, a commissioner or a board. Its six units address exactly those transitions and end with a research-methods unit that teaches the manager to gather evidence properly.
Regulated by Ofqual and placed at Level 6, this is a management qualification in the health and social care sector, not a clinical or professional one: it does not register anyone as a nurse, social worker or allied health professional, and it does not by itself make anyone a registered manager, which is a decision for the sector regulator. What it does is provide the degree-level study of care management that providers, inspectors and commissioners increasingly expect in the grades above registered manager.
Learners on this award come from residential, nursing, domiciliary and supported-living services, from hospices and community health organisations, and sometimes from commissioning. Almost all hold a Level 5 leadership diploma or its predecessor, and the Level 6 award is the natural next step for someone who has done that and wants to go further without leaving the sector.
StructureUnits and credits
Six mandatory units; no optional units. Titles and credit values as published by OTHM.2
| Unit | Credits |
|---|---|
| 01Personal and Professional Development in Health and Social Care | 20 |
| 02Managing Quality in Health and Social Care Settings | 20 |
| 03Principles of Leadership and Management | 20 |
| 04Health and Safety in Health and Social Care Settings | 20 |
| 05Resource Management in Health and Social Care | 20 |
| 06Research Methods for Healthcare Professionals | 20 |
| Total | 120 |
Personal and Professional Development in Health and Social Care is the natural opener, because a manager who cannot account for their own development cannot lead others'. Principles of Leadership and Management follows. Managing Quality and Health and Safety in care settings pair well, both being about assurance, as do Resource Management and Research Methods for Healthcare Professionals, since the research unit is best taught with a resource question to investigate. The delivered order is LSPM's; learners already responsible for inspection readiness sometimes ask to take the quality unit early, and that request is worth making at enquiry.
AdmissionEntry requirements
OTHM sets the entry criteria; LSPM applies them. As published:2
- Relevant NQF/QCF/RQF Level 5 diploma or equivalent overseas qualification as recognised by UK NARIC
- Mature learners (over 21) with management experience (learners must check with the delivery centre regarding this experience prior to registering for the programme)
- Learner must be 18 years or older at the beginning of the course
- English requirements: If a learner is not from a majority English-speaking country must provide evidence of English language competency. For more information visit English Language Expectations page in this website.
OTHM's wording for this award refers to an overseas qualification recognised by UK NARIC, the predecessor of the current UK ENIC service, for applicants educated abroad; LSPM uses UK ENIC statements of comparability for that purpose. Within the UK, a Level 5 diploma in leadership and management for health and social care, or in adult care, is the customary entry qualification and is admitted on the certificate. Experience-route applicants are asked to evidence management responsibility in a care setting: rostering, supervision, quality or safeguarding lead roles, or deputising for a registered manager.
If you are unsure which route applies to you, enquire and say so; working that out is what the advice call is for.
MethodHow you are assessed
Assignments are set against OTHM's criteria and are written about the learner's own service wherever confidentiality permits. Typical briefs are a professional development plan with a critical rationale, a quality improvement proposal for a defined problem in a setting, a leadership analysis of a team or change, a health and safety audit with recommendations, a resource management case, and a small research study or detailed research proposal on a question drawn from practice. Identifying information about service users is removed as a matter of course.
The general arrangements for marking, moderation, feedback and resubmission are described on the how LSPM teaches page.
Time, honestly estimated
The published figure is 1,200 hours, 480 of them guided and 720 your own. Spread across the period you choose:
| If you finish in | Hours per week |
|---|---|
| Twelve months | about 23 |
| Eighteen months | about 15 |
| Twenty-four months | about 12 |
AfterwardsProgression
The common top-up destination is a bachelor's degree in health and social care, health and social care management, or health studies, entered at the final year. Universities offering such degrees are used to receiving applicants with sector diplomas and the subject match is direct. Some require evidence of current employment in a care setting for practice-related modules; most do not.
The diploma does not lead to professional registration in nursing, social work or allied health, all of which require approved degree programmes with their own entry routes. Holders wishing to move into a registered profession take the top-up first and then apply to the professional programme, or apply to the professional programme directly on their existing qualifications and experience where its admissions policy allows.
The mechanics of advanced standing, and the questions admissions tutors ask, are on the top-up degrees page.4 Slot: universities holding a current progression agreement for this award, verified before publication.
Not everyone wants the bachelor's. The other direction from here is a Level 7 diploma, at master's level, described on the companion site for Level 7 diplomas.
FitWho it suits, and who it does not
A good fit if you
- hold a Level 5 leadership diploma in care and want the next level without leaving the sector or the job;
- are a deputy manager, senior carer or team leader taking on quality, safety or resource responsibilities across a service;
- intend to top up to a health and social care degree and need the Level 6 credit to apply.
A poor fit if you
- want to become a nurse, social worker or other registered professional; those routes have their own approved programmes;
- have not yet completed a Level 5 award and have no management responsibility in care; that award is the customary first step;
- need the registered manager qualification itself; providers and the regulator may still specify the Level 5 award for that role.
QuestionsAsked about this programme
Will this diploma make me eligible to be a registered manager?
Registration as a manager is the sector regulator's decision, made on experience, competence and suitability as well as qualifications. This diploma is evidence of degree-level study in care management and is welcomed by providers, but many still specify the Level 5 leadership diploma for the registered manager role. If you do not hold that award, ask your provider which they need.
I am a nurse without a degree. Is this the right route to one?
It is a route to a Level 6 credit in health and social care management, which can support a top-up to a health-related degree. It is not a nursing qualification and does not affect your registration. Nurses wishing to convert a diploma registration to a degree usually take a top-up designed for that purpose; We are happy to help you compare the two routes before you apply anywhere.
How is service-user confidentiality handled in assignments?
Assignments are anonymised as standard: no names, no identifying details, and where necessary a composite case rather than a real one. Learners are expected to follow their employer's information governance policy, and LSPM's tutors will not accept work that breaches it.
What does the research methods unit involve?
It teaches the design of a small study appropriate to a care setting: framing a question, choosing a method, considering ethics and consent, gathering and analysing data, and reporting. Most learners produce a detailed proposal or a small-scale study on a question from their own service, such as staff retention, medication errors or family engagement.
Does the entry requirement really mention UK NARIC?
It does, in the wording OTHM published; UK NARIC has since become UK ENIC. For applicants with qualifications gained outside the UK, LSPM asks for a UK ENIC statement of comparability, which serves the same purpose.
Documents and application
Applications are made on London School of Planning and Management's own website, not this site; this site is LSPM's independent recruitment agent. Most people enquire first; the apply link is for those who have already had that conversation.
Brochure slot. The programme brochure (PDF) belongs to LSPM, is to be supplied by LSPM, and will replace this anchor.
Notes and sources
- GOV.UK, list of qualification levels (Level 6 includes honours degrees). ↩
- OTHM, OTHM Level 6 Diploma in Health and Social Care Management : qualification specification (PDF) consulted 30 September 2026; qualification page at othm.org.uk. Source for units, credits, hours and entry wording. ↩
- Ofqual, Register of Regulated Qualifications, qualification number 603/6820/2. ↩
- QAA, Higher Education Credit Framework for England (credit volumes; advanced standing). ↩