Registering with a GP, dentist, optician. Booking appointments. Knowing what each NHS service does (GP / pharmacy / 111 / 999 / A&E / minor injuries / mental-health crisis services). Self-advocacy — describing symptoms, asking for what you need, requesting a different doctor, getting a second opinion. Mental health services: how the IAPT / NHS Talking Therapies route works; CAMHS for under-18s; adult mental health services; community psychology; private routes and their limits. Repeat prescriptions and managing medications. Self-examination and screening (cancer awareness, sexual health screening). Recognising when to seek help vs when to wait it out.
For learners with chronic conditions, neurodivergence, mental-health histories, or complex care needs, healthcare navigation is a genuinely difficult skill — and NEO learners often have more practice with the system than their peers but less practice doing it independently of family.
Tested by
Cross-curriculum
- RSHE — Health Education (the canonical statutory home for self-care knowledge)
- KS4 Science — Coordination and the body’s regulation (the biology of stress, regulation, mental health)
- KS4 Science — Health, disease, immunity, and lifestyle (lifestyle factors, public health)
- Relating Intelligently — Module 3 (coherence as an ongoing self-care practice)
- Employability — Work and life (mental health at work, occupational health, Access to Work)
Suggested evidence types
- Mock-up of a GP / specialist appointment with a script for what the learner wants to communicate
- Decision-tree for when to call 999 vs 111 vs GP vs pharmacy
- Annotated prescription / medication management plan
- Reflection on the learner’s own healthcare experience — what’s worked, what hasn’t, what they would tell their younger self
Care note
This strand requires sensitivity around the learner’s own healthcare history. Disclosure should be invited, never demanded. Practitioners should signpost professional support (Samaritans, Mind, NHS Talking Therapies, GP) rather than holding clinical conversations themselves.