A Health Care Assistant, or HCA, is a key role in the NHS which supports nurses and other staff to deliver excellent care to our patients.
You can find HCAs across all sorts of different services, from mental health inpatient wards to elderly wards to community clinics. It is a fabulous role to get into if you are thinking of starting a career with the NHS but are unsure of where to start or prefer to learn on the job.
HCAs need no prior healthcare experience to start work, which makes it a great option for anybody looking for a career change; whether you’re a student looking for some healthcare experience, the first step on the ladder to becoming a registered nurse, or just looking for a career change.
Watch the video below to learn more about the HCA role:
Healthcare Assistant Progression
Did you know joining as a Health Care Assistant opens a wealth of progression opportunities? There are so many different options to consider, with pathways for becoming Registered Nurses, Allied Health Professions, Midwifery, Mental Health specialisations and more!
Check out the different pathways below…
Pathway from Support Worker to Registered Nurse
This pathway takes approximately four to five years and results in a Registered Nurse career. Using apprenticeships, you can earn while you learn and progress to the next stage.
This pathway takes approximately four to six years and can lead to a multitude of careers under the AHP banner, including Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Speech and Language, Dieticians and more. View the full array of AHP professions.
The HCA Academy is a programme which provides extra support and guidance to HCAs hired across two Trusts – Mid and South Essex Foundation Trust (MSEFT) and Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT). If you are recruited for a HCA role at either Trust, you will automatically be enrolled onto the HCA Academy.
The HCA Academy includes an industry leading week-long induction where you’ll meet fellow HCAs, learn essential skills and find out more about the role of a HCA, all in preparation for placement on the ward or in the community. The induction is centralised between the two Trusts, giving you the opportunity to learn about both physical and mental health.
After the induction period, HCAs will receive ongoing pastoral support, check-in calls, progression pathways and a host of other opportunities.
As well as giving our HCAs the best possible start, the new induction includes training in both mental and physical health, offering a comprehensive understanding of the various healthcare scenarios they may encounter.
The week will cover essential skills such as the role of the HCA, infection prevention, vital signs and NEWS2, as well as training in mental health awareness and the Mental Health Act. By centralising the training offering between the two Trusts, we enable our HCAs to understand the importance of a holistic approach to patient care.
Following their induction, HCAs will be offered opportunities to upskill and signposted to pathways into apprenticeships and further education to obtain skills needed to progress. For their first few months with the Trust they will be given wellbeing and pastoral support with avenues to raise concerns and seek further guidance within their role.
The HCA Academy is offered to all HCAs who are employed by MSEFT and EPUT, covering services across Luton, Bedfordshire, Essex and Suffolk.
Want to find out more? Read our brochure for further information about the HCA role and how we can help you to achieve your goals.
