Healthcare support worker

Key information

Reference: ST0216
Date updated: 30/11/2022
Level: 2
Route: Health and science
Regulated occupation: No

Details of the occupational standard

Occupation summary

This occupation is found in the health and care sectors. Healthcare Support Workers work in a range of healthcare settings, for example in a hospital, General Practice, as part of a community team and in individuals’ homes where their wider team may include workers from both health and social care. They can also be found in social care settings where the scope of the role they carry out requires them to be responsible for a range of clinical tasks. These roles are becoming more common as health and social care services in some areas become integrated or where residential and nursing homes are caring for residents who have health and care needs, are unwell or reaching the end of their life but have not been transferred to a hospital or primary care setting.

The broad purpose of the occupation is to provide high quality and compassionate person-centred care and support based on individual needs and setting. Daily activities for a Healthcare Support Worker will vary according to the workplace and will be determined by the needs of the individuals they are caring for. Healthcare Support Workers will check the overall comfort, wellbeing and progress of individuals in their care. They support individuals with their daily activities including eating, drinking, washing, dressing or going to the toilet. They carry out clinical activities such as measuring and monitoring blood pressure, temperature or weight, checking wounds or applying dressings. They prepare individuals for healthcare activities carried out by other members of the healthcare team, looking after them before, during and/or after those activities in line with their care plan. They will also carry out non-clinical duties such as handling enquiries and signposting or escorting people, keeping records, making beds, tidying the work area, returning or cleaning equipment used during a clinical activity.

In their daily work, an employee in this occupation interacts with

Patients, service users, carers and their families
Registered healthcare professionals, for example doctors, nurses and other allied health professionals
Social care staff including registered managers, adult care workers and social workers
Administration, management and other staff like cleaners, drivers, porters and receptionists

An employee in this occupation will be responsible for working within the limits of their competence and agreed ways of working to provide a defined range of healthcare tasks as part of the wider health and social care team. Healthcare Support Workers in health settings typically report to a registered healthcare practitioner who will directly or indirectly supervise their work. Healthcare Support Workers in adult social care settings typically report to a Registered Manager, Service Manager and, in the case of Personal Assistants, to the individual with whom they work. Healthcare Support Workers can address straightforward problems in their daily work, reporting concerns and changes to the appropriate person in a timely manner. They must communicate effectively and be able to adhere to strict standards, including legislation, when handling sensitive and confidential information. They must maintain a safe and healthy working environment and keep their knowledge and skills up to date through continuous professional development.

Typical job titles include:

Healthcare Support Worker Healthcare Assistant Mental Health Support Worker Nursing Assistant Personal Assistant Support Worker

Occupation duties

Duty	KSBs
Duty 1 Act within the limits of own competence and within agreed ways of working, following the relevant local and national standards, policies and protocols used in the workplace	K1 K2 K3 K4 S1 S2 S3 S4 B1 B2 B3
Duty 2 Monitor the health and well-being of individuals in your care	K5 K6 K7 K8 K9 S5 S6 S7 S8 S9 B1 B2 B3
Duty 3 Assist individuals to maximise their independence	K10 K11 S10 S11 B1 B2 B3
Duty 4 Contribute to the daily running and administration of an effective and efficient service or team	K12 K13 K14 S12 S13 S14 B1 B2 B3
Duty 5 Use communication methods and techniques to overcome barriers and meet individuals’ wishes, preferences and needs	K15 K16 S15 S16 B1 B2 B3
Duty 6 Promote the health and wellbeing of individuals	K17 S17 B1 B2 B3
Duty 7 Record, report and store information related to individuals	K18 K19 S18 S19 B1 B2 B3
Duty 8 Maintain own and others’ safety at work	K20 K21 K22 S20 S21 S22 B1 B2 B3
Duty 9 Maintain and further develop your own skills and knowledge	K23 K24 K25 S23 S24 S25 B1 B2 B3
Duty 10 Contribute to the quality of services by participating in improvement activities	K26 K27 S26 S27 B1 B2 B3

KSBs

Knowledge

K1: The legislation, policies, standards, local ways of working and codes of conduct that apply to own role. Back to Duty

K2: The scope of practice, limitations of own competence and who to ask for support Back to Duty

K3: The principles of ‘person-centred care and support’, including principles of equality, diversity and inclusion, active participation, consent and choice Back to Duty

K4: The principles of a ‘duty of care’ and ‘safeguarding’, including the signs and types of abuse and ways to reduce the risk of abuse Back to Duty

K5: The signs and symptoms that an individual is in pain, distress or discomfort Back to Duty

K6: The signs and symptoms that an individual’s health and wellbeing is changing and ways to report changes Back to Duty

K7: Techniques and principles to perform basic life support Back to Duty

K8: The physiological states, their normal ranges and the correct tools or equipment used to measure them Back to Duty

K9: The importance of prescribed medication and the limitations of own role in relation to medication Back to Duty

K10: The principles of hydration, nutrition and food safety Back to Duty

K11: The activities of daily living and ways to support individuals in developing and maintaining their independence in carrying out these activities Back to Duty

K12: Local systems to order and manage supplies and stocks Back to Duty

K13: Methods to safely clean and dispose of materials and equipment, including ways to handle hazardous materials and substances Back to Duty

K14: Local systems to manage appointments, including IT and telephone systems, how and where to sign-post individuals Back to Duty

K15: Communication techniques to maximise understanding including for individuals with specific communication needs or wishes Back to Duty

K16: The meaning of ‘capacity’, the differences between mental illness, dementia and learning disability and the impact of these conditions on an individual’s needs Back to Duty

K17: The principles of health promotion, availability of services to support individuals with lifestyle choices and how referrals can be made if required Back to Duty

K18: Ways to record and store information securely and in line with national and local policy and legislation, including the safe use of technology Back to Duty

K19: The principles and organisational policies for confidentiality, duty of confidence and disclosure Back to Duty

K20: The principles of infection prevention and control and the importance of good personal hygiene, hand hygiene and correct use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Back to Duty

K21: The health and safety legislation, the principles of safe moving and handling of equipment and other objects and assistance of individuals Back to Duty

K22: The meaning of ‘risk’ in the workplace, ways to identify and raise concerns and own responsibilities in relation to incidents, errors and near misses Back to Duty

K23: The principles of continuing personal development and the local arrangements for appraisal and supervision Back to Duty

K24: The principles of the ‘Care Certificate’ Back to Duty

K25: The principles of reflective practice Back to Duty

K26: The principles of ‘quality improvement’ Back to Duty

K27: Ways to source evidence to support improvement in the workplace Back to Duty

Skills

S1: Work in line with legislation, policies, standards, local ways of working and codes of conduct that apply to own role Back to Duty

S2: Work within the scope of practice, the limits of own knowledge and skills, escalating and reporting to others when needed Back to Duty

S3: Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to provide safe non-discriminatory person-centred care and support in line with individual’s established consent Back to Duty

S4: Implement a duty of care, recognising and responding to safeguarding and protection concerns and acting in the best interest of individuals to ensure they do not come to harm Back to Duty

S5: Recognise and respond to the signs and symptoms that an individual is in pain, distress or discomfort to maximise comfort and wellbeing Back to Duty

S6: Recognise and respond to changes in individuals’ health and wellbeing Back to Duty

S7: Perform basic life support Back to Duty

S8: Undertake physiological measurements, selecting and using the correct tools or equipment Back to Duty

S9: Assist the registered practitioner in encouraging individuals to take or use their prescribed medication Back to Duty

S10: Promote access to fluids and nutrition in line with an individual’s care plan Back to Duty

S11: Support individuals with activities of daily living to maximise independence in line with their desired outcomes and plan of care Back to Duty

S12: Contribute to the storage of supplies and equipment Back to Duty

S13: Contribute to the cleaning, disinfecting and disposal of materials and equipment Back to Duty

S14: Support others with appointments, enquiries and referrals Back to Duty

S15: Communicate with individuals using techniques designed to facilitate understanding Back to Duty

S16: Recognise and respond to limitations in an individual’s mental capacity Back to Duty

S17: Act on opportunities to support others to maximise their health, well-being and positive lifestyle choices Back to Duty

S18: Record and store information related to individuals securely and in line with local and national policies, including the safe use of technology Back to Duty

S19: Report and share information related to individuals securely and in line with local and national policies, maintaining confidentiality Back to Duty

S20: Maintain a safe and healthy working environment, using a range of techniques for infection prevention and control, including hand hygiene and the use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Back to Duty

S21: Move and handle equipment or other items safely and assist individuals Back to Duty

S22: Take action in response to identified concerns, risks, incidents or errors and near misses arising in the workplace Back to Duty

S23: Participate in appraisal and supervision to support ongoing personal development Back to Duty

S24: Participate in training and development activities including the Care Certificate Standards Back to Duty

S25: Reflect on own practice Back to Duty

S26: Contribute to improvement activities in the workplace, for example collecting and logging data for audit Back to Duty

S27: Use evidence to make suggestions for improving practice Back to Duty

Behaviours

B1: Treat people with dignity Back to Duty

B2: Show respect and empathy for those you work with Back to Duty

B3: Be adaptable, reliable and consistent Back to Duty

End-point assessment (EPA plan)

Rigorous robust and independent assessment undertaken by an apprentice at the end of training to test that the apprentice can perform in the occupation they have been trained in and can demonstrate the duties, and knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs) set out in the occupational standard

End-point assessment organisation (EPAO)

An organisation approved to deliver end-point assessment for a particular apprenticeship standard. EPAOs must be on the register of end-point assessment organisations

Holistic or synoptic

Assessment of an apprentice’s knowledge, skills and behaviours in an integrated way i.e. assessing several KSBs at the same time

Knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSB)

What is needed to competently undertake the duties required for an occupational standard

Valid

Referred to in relation to assessment methods; fit for purpose

Change request policy

Most changes to an apprenticeship are made as a result of a holistic review of it. We prioritise the need for such reviews based on a range of factors. These include:

the time since the apprenticeship was developed or last reviewed (taking account of its typical duration)
the existence of any known problems with it (e.g. lower than expected starts, low achievement rate, high withdrawal rate, any issues with the availability of training or end-point assessment provision)
whether the apprenticeship is currently subject to a dispensation
the relative significance of the apprenticeship based on how many users it has

The availability of an employer group to support a review and its potential impact on any related technical education product also inform the timing of a review.

Details of apprenticeships that are currently being revised or adjusted are available in our revisions and adjustments status report.

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