Healthcare assistant
Healthcare assistants look after patients in hospitals and sometimes at a patient's home.
Also known as: Support worker, nursing assistant, nursing auxiliary
- Starter salary£25,000 a year
- Experienced£27,000 a year
- Typical hours37 to 40 a week
What you'll do
As a healthcare assistant, you could:
- help patients shower and get dressed
- help people to eat their meals
- use equipment to lift and move patients
- talk to patients and reassure them
- help patients to use the toilet
- monitor patients' readings, like temperature, pulse and breathing
- keep work areas clean and sterilise equipment
- attend meetings with other healthcare professionals
Working environment
You could work in an NHS or private hospital, at a client's home, at an adult care home or at a hospice.
You may need to wear a uniform.
Skills and knowledge you'll need
You'll need:
- a desire to help people
- to be thorough and pay attention to detail
- the ability to work well with others
- patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
- excellent verbal communication skills
- sensitivity and understanding
- customer service skills
- the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
- to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device
How to become a healthcare assistant
You can get into this job through:
- a college course
- an apprenticeship
- working towards this role
College
You could do a college course, which may help you when looking for work.
Courses include:
- preparing for further study in health, social care and social work
- health and social care
- T Level in Health
Most health and social care courses include work placements which is a good way to get experience.
Entry requirements
Entry requirements for these courses vary.
- 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level
Apprenticeship
You could apply to do a Healthcare Support Worker Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship, or Senior Healthcare Support Worker Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.
Entry requirements
You'll usually need:
- no specific qualifications or experience to apply for a foundation apprenticeship
- some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
- 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship
Work
You could work as a trainee care assistant in a residential home or care home while you complete a qualification to become a healthcare assistant.
Volunteering
Volunteering in the NHS is a good way to get work experience in healthcare. This can be helpful when you apply for jobs or training.
You can also find opportunities through The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and Do it .
Restrictions and requirements
You'll need to:
- pass enhanced background checks
Career path and progression
Healthcare assistant roles can be a stepping stone to other health careers.
With training, you can become an assistant practitioner in:
- chiropody or podiatry
- occupational therapy
- radiography
- physiotherapy
With experience, you can help to train new healthcare assistants.
You can also apply to train as a nurse, radiographer, dietitian, midwife or social worker.
Health Careers has information about careers in all areas of the NHS.
You can also use your skills in the social care sector. You can research more about roles in social care from Think Care Careers.
Career tips
You would be expected to have an understanding of how the NHS values would apply in your work.
Professional and industry bodies
You may find it useful to join the Royal College of Nursing to find professional development and training opportunities.
Guides for this industry
Related roles
- Job roleCare worker
- Job roleFamily support worker
- Job roleNurse
- Job roleSocial work assistant
- Job roleParamedic
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0