NHS Royal Devon | Healthcare Support Workers

Healthcare Support Workers

Explore this role:

What's it like to work at the Royal Devon?
Becoming a Healthcare Support Worker at the Royal Devon
What does a career pathway look like?
Advancing your career
Your bespoke learning journey
Case study
What can I expect to get paid?
Focus on: Urgent Community Response
Case study
Video

We are incredibly proud of our HCSW workforce, your contribution is vital for delivering exceptional patient care. It is important to protect your wellbeing, so we will always be on hand with support alongside your warm and compassionate team of fellow professionals.

Once qualified, your role can be tailored to suit the hours you need, whether you need the flexibility of shift patterns split across weekdays, weekends, and nights, or part-time hours to fit around family and study time.

You don’t need any previous experience. We provide all the training you need to get started, which means you can learn and progress whilst also being paid. We’ll welcome you into the fold with a bespoke package of learning, support, and a full induction programme, equipping you with all the tools you need to reach your potential. Plus, you’ll have a designated ‘buddy’ to work with whilst you learn the ropes.

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What's it like to work at the Royal Devon?

Working in a Healthcare Support Worker role is an ideal vantage point for exploring the different careers available within the NHS. We are proud to nurture a workforce of real homegrown talent, many of whom discovered their dream job during their time working as a HCSW.

Guided by senior members of the team and collaborating with all kinds of different specialties, you’ll progress along your chosen career pathway with the help of our learning and development opportunities. This all starts with a fantastic induction programme, after which you’ll be teamed up with a ‘buddy’ to find out more about your specific clinical area.

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Becoming a Healthcare Support Worker at the Royal Devon

How do I train to become a Healthcare Support Worker?

You don’t need experience to get started! We’ll provide all training on the job and help you achieve your Care Certificate within the first year of your role. Once you have achieved your Care Certificate and providing you have Maths and English GCSE’s or equivalent, we’ll help you take the next steps in your career.

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Band 2 Support Worker

You’ll be joining us as a Band 2 Healthcare Support Worker in a ‘new to care’ role. This means you’ll be concentrating on helping people with personal needs such as washing, dressing, feeding, and making sure they feel comfortable. As your confidence grows, so will your skillset.

You’ll soon be able to assist your team with things like removing cannulas and other interventions as you work towards achieving your Care Certificate.

Care Certificate

Band 3 Senior Healthcare Support Worker

Once you have achieved your Care Certificate, you’ll be able to study for your diploma, which will see you take on a Band 3 Senior Support Worker role. Equipped with more experience and the confidence to work more independently, you’ll be taking on more clinical tasks such as cannulating patients, running electrocardiograms (ECG), and other interventions.

Training and development

What does a career pathway look like?

There are so many ways to achieve a fulfilling and rewarding career as an HCSW. You may be starting afresh and looking for a brand new role, or perhaps you have dedicated a few years to other goals and are looking to return to practice. If you are interested in developing your role, we have a wealth of opportunities you can harness too.

To help you on your way, we produced a brochure to kick start your career with us.

Download our brochure

Advancing your career

Care Certificate

Working towards your Care Certificate is one of the first steps you’ll take towards advancing your career. We’ll help every step of the way, providing dedicated time to practice your skills, and equip you with key guidance and protected time to study. This usually takes between 6-12 months, and once you have achieved this, you’ll take on a Band 3 Senior Support Worker role.

Care certificate

Where could this role take me?

With experience and further training, you could follow one of our progression paths to qualify as a Nursing Associate. This career route involves studying for a Level 5 Foundation Degree Apprenticeship, after which you’ll be able to follow a progression path that leads to a qualified Nurse position.

Nursing Associate

What if this route isn’t for me?

If this isn't the career pathway for you, there is a huge variety of jobs within the NHS including HR, hospitality, digital services and more, providing you with plenty of opportunities to find your ideal career. Why not browse our career section and find out more?

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Your bespoke learning journey

You’ll be supported to create your own personal development plan. This is used to identify your individual training needs, which can be met from the wide range of learning opportunities available such as clinical skills, management development, coaching and mentoring, IT skills and much more.

Learn with us

Case study

Paula Doidge - Therapies

“I was attracted to the role of a Healthcare Support Worker as I am keen to help patients achieve their goals. I am involved with the amputees and enjoy seeing them progress. I work in the community team and our aim is to speak with our patients to find out what their concerns are, so we then can assist them with their goals. During my time in the community, I have completed amputee training and also spent time at the Exeter mobility centre to get a better understating of how they are measured for a new limb, which has been invaluable for my knowledge

.My involvement with the amputees during the Covid pandemic was a standout proud moment for me. Thanks to the challenge of completing rehab at home rather than in the gym as we normally would, we had to figure out the best way to support and rehab the amputees in a safe way.

If you’re considering becoming a Support Worker, you should know that whilst the role can be challenging, it really is the most rewarding job, especially when you see someone progress and achieve their goals.”

What can I expect to get paid?

Agenda for change

Known as ‘Agenda for Change’, NHS pay is structured around different bandings for a fair and transparent pay structure. Levels of pay vary within each band according to experience. As your career develops, you can expect to earn more and move to the top of your pay banding before working your way up to the next one.

NHS pay explained

Enhance your earnings

Alongside working up through your pay band, there are lots of different ways to increase your income whilst working in an HCSW role. Our Bank is like an internal recruitment agency made up of a wide range of staff who want to work flexibly or pick up some extra shifts. This helps us to keep our services running smoothly as it means we have talented people to provide temporary cover wherever needed.

Joining our Bank is a brilliant way to boost your pay and enjoy flexible shifts in a variety of settings. This is great for staff who wish to pick up some extra hours to boost their income. Plus, the extra experience can support your career progression. Also, if your work includes Saturdays, Sundays, public holidays or overnight shift patterns (8pm – 6am) you are entitled to an extra allowance.

Join the Staff Bank Allowance

Focus on: Urgent Community Response

Transforming people’s lives starts at home, and that’s why the work of our Urgent Community Response team is so vital for our services. As a Healthcare Support Worker, your care and compassion will be making a huge difference every day, whether you are guiding a patient’s healing journey in the comfort of their own home, or making sure a person with dementia can stay safely in their familiar environment.

Based out in the community, this crucial role has great variety where no two days are the same. You’ll be caring for our most vulnerable patients across a wide geographical area that encompasses sleepy seaside villages and bustling market towns. Throughout it all, you’ll be supported by a team that feels just like family.

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Case study

David Chadwick, Urgent Community Response

I joined the NHS in 2018 as part of the Urgent Community Response team (UCR) as a Band 2 Healthcare Support Worker. My team helped me on my career journey, tailoring training to my needs, and the Trust supported me with my Level 3 Healthcare Diploma.

Most of this training took place during work time and I was able to expand my skills, clinical competencies and health knowledge. I began working as a Band 3 Support Worker once qualified.

I strove to learn more, pushing myself and furthering my skills as I progressed along the Assistant Practitioner pathway. This helped me to discover a passion for Occupational Therapy, having worked as part of a multi-disciplinary team alongside various professions such as speech and language therapy and other professions.

I will soon be starting my next adventure as a student Occupational Therapist with UWE Bristol, where I’ll be able to study whilst working alongside my current team.

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Start your career with us

Planing your future

We are delighted to support a range of work placements to help you gain first-hand experience in the NHS.

Work flexibly

Choose your shifts to suit your needs, apply to join our Staff Bank