Foreword

Healthcare support workers are a fundamental part of the NHS workforce and are vital in providing care to patients across a range of health settings.

It is essential that we continue to do all we can to retain and develop the NHS workforce. As part of this we need to ensure that our healthcare support workers are given the support and development they will need to stay within the NHS and continue to be invaluable members of the teams that deliver the best possible care to our patients.

The healthcare support worker role offers excellent career development opportunities and can also be the first step towards a lifelong career in the NHS. With the right support, many healthcare support workers go on to become our future nurses, nursing associates and midwives if they choose to.

To help NHS trusts to support, develop, and retain healthcare support workers, we are delighted to launch this resource which has been developed by our Nursing Directorate’s Healthcare Support Worker Programme team and our People Directorate’s Retention team.

It provides practical guidance, tools and best practice to help facilitate meaningful engagement and valued support to  healthcare support workers in all aspects of their role – from recruitment and induction through to career conversations as they develop in their roles – enabling positive experiences,  rewarding careers and contributing to the provision of  the best possible patient care.

Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer, England.