Level 6 Diploma in Nursing and Midwifery – Three Years (360 Credits)

This qualification includes fifteen key topics designed to develop advanced nursing, midwifery, clinical, leadership, and research competence:

1. Foundations of Nursing and Midwifery Practice: Understanding professional roles, person-centred care, clinical responsibilities, professional values, and principles of safe nursing and midwifery practice.

2. Human Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathophysiology: Applying knowledge of human body systems, physiological processes, disease mechanisms, and clinical changes relevant to patient care.

3. Fundamentals of Clinical Assessment and Care Planning: Developing systematic patient assessment, clinical observations, care planning, documentation, evaluation, and escalation of care.

4. Pharmacology and Medicines Management: Understanding medicines, pharmacological principles, medication safety, administration procedures, adverse effects, and responsible medicines management.

5. Infection Prevention, Control, and Patient Safety: Applying infection prevention, hygiene, isolation, antimicrobial awareness, patient safety principles, and clinical risk reduction.

6. Maternal Health and Antenatal Care: Supporting women throughout pregnancy through assessment, health promotion, antenatal care, recognition of risk, and appropriate referral.

7. Labour, Birth, and Intrapartum Midwifery Practice: Understanding physiological and complicated labour, childbirth, monitoring, professional decision-making, and safe intrapartum care.

8. Postnatal, Newborn, and Family Care: Providing evidence-informed postnatal care, newborn assessment, feeding support, family education, and recognition of maternal or neonatal concerns.

9. Adult and Complex Clinical Nursing Practice: Applying advanced nursing principles to acute, chronic, complex, and long-term health conditions across healthcare settings.

10. Mental Health, Community Health, and Health Promotion: Addressing mental wellbeing, community healthcare, prevention, health education, social determinants, and population health.

11. Safeguarding, Ethics, Law, and Professional Practice: Applying safeguarding responsibilities, ethical principles, confidentiality, consent, professional accountability, and relevant healthcare legislation.

12. Evidence-Based Practice and Healthcare Quality Improvement: Evaluating evidence, applying clinical guidelines, improving quality, managing risk, and contributing to safer healthcare services.

13. Clinical Leadership and Interprofessional Practice: Developing leadership, teamwork, delegation, communication, supervision, and collaborative decision-making across multidisciplinary healthcare teams.

14. Nursing and Midwifery Research Methods: Developing research questions, literature reviews, research methodology, data collection, critical appraisal, and analysis of healthcare evidence.

15. Nursing and Midwifery Research and Practice Project: Conducting an applied research or evidence-based improvement project addressing a relevant nursing, midwifery, patient-care, or healthcare-quality issue.

• Develops advanced knowledge of nursing care, maternal health, newborn care, clinical assessment, and evidence-based healthcare practice.

• Strengthens professional skills in medicines management, patient safety, infection control, safeguarding, clinical decision-making, and quality improvement.

• Enhances career development opportunities across hospitals, community healthcare, maternity services, healthcare organisations, and related care environments.

• Builds leadership, multidisciplinary working, research, communication, and healthcare service-improvement capabilities.

• Provides a structured foundation for higher-level healthcare study, specialist professional development, and research-focused progression.

• Healthcare professionals and learners seeking advanced academic development in nursing, midwifery, and patient-centred healthcare practice.

• Nursing and maternity-care practitioners seeking to strengthen clinical knowledge, evidence-based practice, and professional competencies.

• Healthcare workers progressing toward leadership, quality improvement, clinical education, or specialist healthcare roles.

• Learners preparing for higher-level study and professional development in nursing, midwifery, healthcare management, and clinical research

• Assessment Format: Written examinations, clinical case studies, practical skills assessments, care-planning assignments, reflective portfolios, presentations, research assignments, and final applied project assessment.

• Total Questions: 120

• Passing Score: 60%

• Duration: 3 Hours for written examinations, with practical, portfolio, and project assessments completed according to the assessment schedule.

• Certification: HiQual UK Level 6 Diploma in Nursing and Midwifery

To deliver this Qualification, HiQual UK Approved ATPs must demonstrate the capability to deliver, assess, and internally quality assure qualifications in line with recognised regulatory principles and the expectations of the Regulated Qualifications Framework (RQF).

Approved centres must operate effective systems to ensure the validity, reliability, fairness, consistency, and security of assessment.

1. Centre Recognition and Legal Compliance

Centres must be formally recognised by HiQual UK prior to the delivery or assessment of any qualification. To maintain recognition, centres must: Be a legally constituted organisation operating in compliance with applicable legislation and regulatory requirements. Demonstrate effective governance, management oversight, and clear lines of accountability. Comply with all HiQual UK policies, procedures, and conditions of centre recognition. Notify HiQual UK promptly of any material changes that may affect delivery, assessment, or internal quality assurance arrangements.

2. Resources, Facilities, and Learning Environment

Centres must ensure that sufficient and appropriate resources are in place to support learning and assessment. This includes: Learning environments appropriate to the mode of delivery, including classrooms and, where applicable, specialist or practical facilities. Access to learning and assessment resources that enable learners to meet qualification outcomes. Secure systems for managing learner data, assessment records, and certification claims. Arrangements that support equality of access and reasonable adjustments for learners where required.

3. Staff Competence and Occupational Expertise

Centres must ensure that all staff involved in delivery, assessment, and internal quality assurance are competent and suitably qualified. Centres must: Appoint tutors with appropriate subject knowledge, teaching competence, and relevant occupational or professional experience. Ensure assessors are trained and competent in applying HiQual UK assessment requirements and standards. Appoint a qualified Internal Quality Assurer (IQA) responsible for monitoring assessment practice and decisions. Maintain records of staff qualifications, experience, training, and continuing professional development (CPD).

4. Assessment Practice and Internal Quality Assurance (IQA)

Centres must operate robust internal quality assurance systems to ensure assessment integrity. Centres must: Ensure assessment is valid, fit for purpose, and conducted in line with HiQual UK requirements. Implement effective IQA procedures to monitor assessor performance and confirm the consistency of assessment decisions. Maintain accurate, complete, and auditable records of learner registration, assessment evidence, and outcomes. Carry out regular internal reviews and standardisation activities to support continuous improvement.

5. Integrity, Risk Management, and Malpractice

Centres must take appropriate measures to protect the integrity of assessment. Centres must: Maintain policies and procedures for the prevention, identification, and management of malpractice and maladministration. Ensure secure handling, storage, and retention of assessment materials and learner evidence. Report any suspected or confirmed malpractice to HiQual UK in accordance with published procedures.

6. Health, Safety, Safeguarding, and Learner Protection

Centres must provide a safe, inclusive, and supportive learning environment. Centres must: Comply with applicable health and safety and safeguarding legislation. Conduct risk assessments for learning activities, particularly where practical or technical work is involved. Maintain procedures to safeguard learner welfare and wellbeing.

7. Learner Information, Support, and Fair Treatment

Centres must ensure learners are informed, supported, and treated fairly. Centres must: Provide clear and accurate information on programme requirements, assessment methods, and certification. Ensure learners receive timely and constructive feedback on assessment outcomes. Operate transparent complaints and appeals procedures aligned with HiQual UK requirements. Manage learner information securely in compliance with data protection legislation.

Successful learners who achieve the HiQual UK Level 6 Diploma in Nursing and Midwifery may progress to:

HiQual UK Level 7 Diploma in Nursing Leadership, Advanced Clinical Practice, Midwifery Leadership, Healthcare Management, or another related Level 7 qualification.

Postgraduate-level programmes such as postgraduate certificates, postgraduate diplomas, MSc Nursing, MSc Advanced Clinical Practice, MSc Midwifery, MSc Healthcare Management, Public Health, Health Sciences, or related master's programmes, subject to the entry and credit-recognition requirements of the receiving institution.

Professional qualifications and specialist development in areas such as clinical leadership, maternal and neonatal care, community nursing, infection prevention, patient safety, healthcare quality improvement, safeguarding, clinical education, and healthcare research.

Professional registration or specialist professional pathways may be pursued separately where learners meet the requirements of the relevant statutory regulator and approved education programme. Completion of this HiQual diploma does not by itself confer NMC registration; NMC registration requires completion of an NMC-approved programme meeting the applicable education and practice requirements.

Employment or career advancement in roles such as Senior Healthcare Practitioner, Clinical Support Manager, Nursing or Midwifery Team Leader, Healthcare Quality Coordinator, Clinical Education Assistant, Patient Safety Coordinator, Healthcare Research Assistant, or Care Services Manager, subject to employer and professional requirements.