Occupational Profile
This Apprenticeship will give you the skills and knowledge to work effectively as a Senior Healthcare Support Worker. Duties are delegated to you in line with care plans. Not all duties are routine and you will need to use your knowledge, experience and understanding to take decisions within your area of responsibility. You are accountable for your work and for reviewing the effectiveness of your actions. The role is undertaken following a period of experience in healthcare so you are able to demonstrate best practice and act as a role model. You may supervise or guide the less experienced staff in your team. You follow the Code of Conduct for Healthcare Support Workers and Adult Social Care Workers.
Senior Healthcare Support Workers help registered practitioners deliver healthcare services to people. As an experienced support worker, you carry out a range of clinical and non-clinical healthcare or therapeutic tasks, under the direct or indirect supervision of the registered healthcare practitioner. You provide high quality, compassionate healthcare, following standards, policies or protocols and always acting within the limits of your competence.
Duration
18 months (this does not include EPA period)
Options
You may work in a range of services eg: hospital, community, health or day case unit, birth centre or midwifery led unit, someone’s home, operating theatre, nursing or care home, assessment centre, hospice, school, prison, GP surgery, charity or voluntary organisation; working in partnership with individuals, families, carers and other service providers:
Adult Nursing Support, Allied Health Profession – Therapy Support, Children & Young People, Maternity Support, Mental Health Support, Theatre Support
Delivery
The delivery will be done mainly at the workplace, with the off-the-job training accounting for at least 6 hours a week. The assessor will regularly visit you at work to observe you performing relevant tasks and to carry out professional discussions. You will receive a login to an online portfolio. The apprentice must complete an induction which meets the 15 standards as set out in the Care Certificate.
You will complete a Level 3 Diploma in Healthcare Support prior to taking the end-point assessment.
Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level prior to taking the end-point assessment.
Upon completion you can progress onto an advanced or higher apprenticeship at level 3, 4 or 5.
After a period of working and gaining experience, you may be able to work towards an Assistant Practitioner or Nursing Associate post or, providing you meet the entry requirements, apply to university to become a registered healthcare practitioner.
End Point Assessment
The end-point assessment (EPA) for Senior Healthcare Support Worker contains 3 methods of assessment which will be graded as Fail, Pass or Distinction:
- Multiple Choice Question
- Observation of Practice
- Professional Discussion
The Sector Skills Council for Health and Social Care is https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/
Candidates for this course should be working in a related sector.
All applications will be reviewed on an individual basis. If you have experience or previous knowledge that will support your application please remember to include it. Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level prior to taking the End-Point Assessment.
Maximum funding: £5000
As an employer that doesn’t pay the apprenticeship levy, you pay just 5% towards the cost of training and assessing an apprentice.
The government will pay the rest up to the funding band maximum.
You’ll pay the training provider directly and agree on a payment schedule.
If you employ fewer than 50 employees, the government will pay 100% of the apprenticeship training costs up to the funding band maximum for apprentices aged:
- 16 to 18
- 19 to 24 with an education, health and care plan provided by their local authority or has been in the care of their local authority
Paying employer National Insurance contributions
Employers may not need to pay Class 1 National Insurance contributions for an apprentice, if the apprentice is:
- under 25 years old
- on an approved UK government apprenticeship standard or framework (these can differ depending on country)
- earns less than £967 a week (£50,270 a year)
The apprentice, as an employee, will continue to pay Class 1 insurance contributions through their salary, this will only benefit the employer.
Read HMRC’s guidance on paying National Insurance contributions.