Palliative care assistant

Palliative care assistants provide specialist care and support to people living with serious illness and those reaching the end of their life.

Also known as: Specialist healthcare assistant

• Starter salary£25,000 a year
• Experienced£28,000 a year
• Typical hours40 to 42 a week

What you'll do

As a palliative care assistant you could:

• apply simple wound dressings and give medication
• change medical equipment like catheters and make sure equipment is cleaned and stored correctly
• support the emotional wellbeing of a patient and their family
• care for the person's body after death
• update patient records

Working environment

You could work in an NHS or private hospital, at a hospice, at an adult care home or at a client's home.

Your working environment may be emotionally demanding.

You may need to wear a uniform.

Skills and knowledge you'll need

You'll need:

• sensitivity and understanding
• the ability to work well with others
• the ability to accept criticism and work well under pressure
• patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
• to be thorough and pay attention to detail
• customer service skills
• knowledge of psychology
• excellent verbal communication skills
• to be able to carry out basic tasks on a computer or hand-held device

How to become a palliative care assistant

You can get into this job through:

• a college course
• an apprenticeship
• applying directly

College

You could do a college course to learn some of the skills you'll need as a palliative care assistant.

You could do a Level 3 Diploma in Healthcare Support or a T Level in Health.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

• 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course
• 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 an apprenticeship, such as:

• Health and Social Care Level 2 Foundation Apprenticeship
• Healthcare Support Worker Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
• Lead Adult Care Worker Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship

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 .

Direct application

You could apply directly to become a palliative care assistant.

You might not need any formal qualifications, but it could help your application if you have:

• GCSEs grade 9 to 4 (A* to C) in English and maths
• a level 2 qualification in health and social care, like a certificate, diploma, GCSE or NVQ
• a good understanding of end of life care, or palliative care

Foundation apprenticeship

You can apply for a foundation apprenticeship if you're aged 16 to 21.

If you're aged 22 to 24, you can apply if you:

• have an education, health and care (EHC) plan
• are in care or have been in care
• are in prison or have been in prison

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

Restrictions and requirements

You'll need to:

• pass enhanced background checks as you may work with children and vulnerable adults

Career path and progression

With experience and training, you could become a senior healthcare assistant.

You could also take additional training and move into other healthcare roles like:

• occupational therapy support worker
• physiotherapy assistant
• podiatry assistant
• radiography assistant

You could also train as a health professional like a midwife , nurse or physiotherapist .

Guides for this industry

• Health & Social Care: pay, interviews and getting started →

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