Roles in Health and Social Care
Health and Social Care offers such a broad range of different job options. For example, you might start in a role as a care worker and move yourself up to management, but you’d still be in the HSC sector.
We're focusing on roles in the wider health and social care sector here rather than medical roles like nursing, midwifery, or becoming a doctor, but to see a full list of roles in the sector and browse the job profiles click here.
A small selection of the roles available in the sector...
Care worker
Care workers provide individual physical and emotional support to help others live their lives. You might be based in a large residential space, like a care home, within an NHS setting, or even in an individual’s home. You might be working with older folk, or those with additional needs or disabilities. Read here about how you could become a Senior Care Assistant or a Care Home Manager.
Social worker
As a social worker you will work with a range of clients, such as children at risk, those with learning disabilities, families under stress or living with a chronic illness. You will offer information, advice and guidance, as well as putting plans into place to ensure the safety and wellbeing of your clients. You will likely liaise with other agencies to support the individuals you work with, such as the NHS. Read here about how you might begin as a Social Work Assistant, or look deeper into the paths towards becoming a Social Services Manager.
Community support workers
Community support workers are embedded in their local area, often providing clubs, groups or training activities to support specific areas of the community. Youth Workers work to support young people aged 11-25 with games, social activities and information sessions.
Health Based Workers
Healthcare support workers work closely with doctors and nurses within the NHS. Roles are really varied, but the focus is on supporting individuals holistically and offering guidance, advice and support. You might want to focus in working in a particular area of health like Speech and Language Therapy, or perhaps want to support unwell children as a Health Play Support Worker. Perhaps guidance is more your thing - in which case, roles such as a Sexual Health Advisor , or becoming a Mental Health Worker, might be a good fit. Alternatively, healthcare assistants offer general support for health in hospitals, other medical settings, or at home.
Technicians
Technicians work closely with key technology within health settings to support patients. You might work as a Critical Care Technologist, making sure equipment in critical care units is working effectively.
Administrative roles
If you’re looking for a more behind the scenes role, administrative services might be a good fit for you. Roles like Medical Records Clerks support hospital staff to ensure medical records are kept organised and clear.
