Healthcare support workers in the North East & Yorkshire

This October we’re celebrating the role of Healthcare Support Workers across our region by sharing the stories of those who’ve been attracted to this role through a sense of purpose, and showcasing the consistent impact they make on patients’ lives every single day. 

Launched in September 2020, the Healthcare Support Worker (HCSW) Programme aimed to strengthen HCSW recruitment in the NHS, reduce vacancies, and support COVID-19 recovery. It also encourages progression into professional roles like nursing.

Healthcare support workers play a vital role in providing excellent care to patients in NHS care settings such as hospitals, GP practices, in the community, and in people’s homes and the position covers a range of health and care support roles including healthcare assistant, nursing assistant, theatre support worker, maternity support worker, and others.

Click on one of the below Healthcare Support Workers to read their story:

What is a healthcare support worker?

The term healthcare support worker (HCSW) is an umbrella term which covers a variety of health and care support roles, including healthcare assistant (HCA), nursing assistant, theatre support worker, maternity support worker and more.

Healthcare support workers play a vital role in providing excellent care to patients across all NHS care settings. They can help patients with social and physical activities, personal care, mobility, meal times, booking appointments etc. They may also take observations of patients, including temperature, pulse, respiration and weight. HCSWs can work in hospitals, GP practices, people’s own homes or in the community; roles can vary depending on the environment in which they work. They can work with many different patient groups, of all ages, including those receiving acute care, people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities or mental health conditions, and in maternity services.

The HCSW role can also lead to a range of career opportunities. With the right support, those who exemplify the skills and core values essential to delivering high-quality, compassionate care could, and can, go on to become our future nurses, nursing associates and midwives.

Innovative recruitment 

The West Yorkshire Mental Health, Learning Disability and Autism programme continues to work in partnership with the Touchstone Inclusion and Recruitment team to support recruitment from underrepresented groups.

If you care about other people, including people with learning disabilities, autism and mental ill health and you want to help change lives for the better, working in local health and care is the career for you. No qualifications or prior experience needed to apply. We want people with the right values and attitudes – could that be you? We have jobs and career opportunities for everyone.

MK is an apprentice in the Specialised Supported Living Service, hear his story and his experience in this journey: