Welcome to the Senior Healthcare Support Worker Apprenticeship, where we focus on providing high-quality and compassionate specialist health and social care to a diverse range of individuals.
In this Apprenticeship, you will embark on a journey dedicated to honing your skills and knowledge to become a trusted and proficient healthcare support professional.
Your role will be instrumental in delivering exceptional care and support to those who need it most, making a meaningful impact on their lives.
An employee in this occupation will be responsible for working within the limits of their competence, following standards, policies or protocols and agreed ways of working to provide a range of clinical, diagnostic or therapeutic interventions as part of the wider health and care team. Senior Healthcare Support Workers report to a registered healthcare professional and undertake delegated activities in line with an individual’s care plan. Senior Healthcare Support Workers use their knowledge, experience and understanding to take decisions within their area of responsibility. They are accountable for their own work and for reviewing the effectiveness of their actions. Senior Healthcare Support Workers may supervise or guide other staff in their team. They must communicate effectively and be able to adhere to standards, including legislation, employer policies and procedures when handling sensitive information. They must maintain a safe and healthy working environment and keep their knowledge and skills up to date.
K1: The legislation, policies, standards, local ways of working and codes of conduct that apply to own role.
K2: The scope of practice, limitations of own competence, including limitations of own role in relation to medication and who to ask for support.
K3: The principles of ‘person-centred care and support’, including principles of equality, diversity and inclusion, active participation, consent and choice.
K4: The principles of a ‘duty of care’ and ‘safeguarding’, the signs of abuse and ways to reduce the risk of abuse.
K5: National and local definitions of health and well-being and priorities for promoting public health and reducing inequalities.
K6: The availability of services to support individuals with lifestyle choices and how to make a referral if required.
K7: The signs and symptoms that an individual’s health and wellbeing is changing, including the role of prescribed medication.
K8: The signs and symptoms that an individual is in pain, distress or discomfort.
K9: The principles of hydration, nutrition and food safety.
K10: Communication techniques to maximise understanding including for individuals with specific communication needs or wishes.
K11: The meaning of ‘capacity’, the differences between mental illness, dementia and learning disability and the impact of these conditions on an individual’s needs.
K12: The principles of infection prevention and control and the importance of good personal hygiene, hand hygiene and correct use of personal protective equipment (PPE).
K13: Local systems and processes to manage the supply, storage, use and safe disposal of stocks and supplies.
K14: The principles of safe moving and assisting individuals, and moving and handling equipment.
K15: The meaning of ‘risk’ in the workplace, ways to raise concerns and own responsibilities in relation to incidents, errors and near misses.
K16: Techniques and principles to safely perform basic life support.
K17: The common causes of conflict and how to respond to them in the workplace.
K18: The importance of continuing personal and professional development.
K19: The local arrangements for appraisal of performance in the workplace.
K20: The principles of reflective practice.
K21: Ways to record and store information securely, including the safe use of technology.
K22: The principles of confidentiality, duty of confidence and disclosure.
K23: The principles of ‘quality improvement’ and ways to measure quality in the workplace.
K24: The principles of investigatory techniques, research and evidence-based practice, and how to access existing evidence and use it to validate and improve practice
K25: The principles of critical thinking and methods of critical appraisal.
K26: The principles and styles of leadership in relation to own role and place of work.
K27: The relationship and differences between leadership, management, supervision and mentoring.
K28: The physiological states, their normal ranges and the correct tools or equipment to use to measure them.
K29: The activities of daily living and ways to support individuals to develop and maintain their independence in carrying out these activities.
K30: The structure and function of the skin and underlying tissues and factors that lead to tissues being compromised.
K31: The principles of wound management and the equipment and materials that are used to treat wounds.
K32: Methods for taking and testing specimens.
K33: The end of life phase and the factors which impact care during the end of life phase.
K34: Local systems for discharge and transfer and the availability of services and agencies offered by the wider health and social care system.
K35: The signs and symptoms that indicate an individual’s physical or mental health and wellbeing are deteriorating.
K36: How to support adults to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing.
K37: Strategies to engage women and carers in feeding, bathing, parenting and self-care such as antenatal and postnatal exercise.
K38: Local and national antenatal and newborn screening services and immunisation programmes.
K39: Local systems and protocols to maintain the maternity environment including procedures to maintain the supply of resources, instruments and equipment.
K40: The purpose of a urethral catheter and the importance of regular monitoring.
K41: Local security procedures for women and babies including systems for woman and baby identification.
K42: The routine checks and observations undertaken for a healthy baby such as cord care, eye care, oral hygiene, stools and signs of neo-natal jaundice.
K43: The nutritional and hygiene needs of babies, the benefits of different feeding methods and the importance of skin to skin contact in bonding.
K44: The principles of supporting families at difficult times, bereavement and loss and the availability of other support services.
K45: The scope of their own role in an emergency situation during pregnancy, labour, birth or the postnatal period.
K46: Local systems and protocols for completing pre- and post-operative checklists.
K47: The principles of asepsis and maintenance of the sterile field in relation to the provision of surgical instrumentation and medical devices to the surgical team.
K48: Local systems and protocols for team briefing, patient sign in, timeout, sign out and debriefing.
K49: The effects of pre-medication, sedation and anaesthesia on individuals.
K50: The purpose for recording an individual’s body fluid and factors that affect input, output and wound drainage.
K51: Techniques used in the peri-operative environment to position individuals and specialist equipment for before, during and after surgery.
K52: The types, purpose and function of surgical instruments and supplementary items used in theatre such as the cost implications of items used and the impact on the commissioning of surgical procedures.
K53: The importance of identification, measurement, accounting for and recording swabs, sharps, instruments or other disposable items used and the actions to take if one is missing.
K54: Types and uses of containers for transport, procedures for labelling, handling, dispatching recording and reporting for clinical specimens and blood products.
K55: The nature of mental health and well-being and the main forms of mental ill health according to the psychiatric International Classification of Diseases and Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM/ICD) classification system.
K56: The main interventions in mental health and well-being and the benefits of early intervention.
K57: The needs of individuals with mental ill health and those supporting them at key stages and through times of change or transition.
K58: Techniques used to build, monitor and sustain therapeutic relationships with individuals, carers and their families.
K59: The factors that facilitate an individual’s recovery experience.
K60: The impact of the individual’s mental ill-health on their life, family, friendships and active participation in society.
K61: Risk factors of harm to self or others, a range of triggers and consideration of the impact of the environment.
K62: Prevention and risk reduction strategies which involve the individual and others, such as suicide mitigation, behaviours which challenge, substance misuse and self-neglect and reduction of restrictive practices.
K63: The importance of own mental health and wellbeing when working in mental health services.
K64: Principles and techniques to engage children and young people in therapeutic play.
K65: The main life transitions for children and young people and the importance of involving the child or young person in their own care in line with legal policy and service frameworks for children and young people.
K66: The importance of family-centred care and the role of the public health agenda in promoting and protecting the health and wellbeing of children and young people, to include looked-after children and young carers.
K67: The expected physical, cognitive, language, emotional, social and developmental milestones, the tools and equipment to measure and assess them and how to adapt practice to meet additional needs.
K68: The care planning process and therapeutic strategies used within own role to promote and enable independence, self-management, social integration, recovery and skills for everyday life.
K69: Local systems for undertaking clinical risk assessments and management plans relevant to own work setting.
K70: The potential impact of mental and physical capacity, health condition, learning disability or overall wellbeing on therapeutic or clinical interventions.
K71: Strategies and approaches to rehabilitate or maximise an individual’s function.
K72: Strategies and tools available to engage individuals or communities in group sessions.
K73: Activities and resources available within the community and the means to access them.
K74: Local systems for sourcing, ordering and fitting therapeutic equipment and resources and the criteria for provision.
K75: The purpose and function of the therapeutic equipment and resources available, including its limitations and contra-indications.
K76: Strategies and tools available to engage individuals in learning how to use therapeutic equipment and resources.
K77: Protocols for checking, reporting and adapting therapeutic equipment and resources.
S1: Work in line with legislation, policies, standards, local ways of working and codes of conduct that apply to own role.
S2: Work within the scope of practice, the limits of own knowledge and skills, escalating and reporting to others when needed.
S3: Work as part of a multi-disciplinary team to provide safe and non-discriminatory person-centred care and support with individuals’ established consent.
S4: Implement a duty of care, recognising and responding to safeguarding and protection concerns and acting in the best interest of individuals to ensure they do not come to harm.
S5: Support individuals to make informed and positive lifestyle choices.
S6: Actively seek out and act on opportunities to support individuals to maximise their health, well-being and positive lifestyle choices.
S7: Recognise and respond to changes in an individual’s health and wellbeing.
S8: Recognise and respond to the signs and symptoms that an individual is in pain, distress or discomfort to maximise comfort and well-being.
S9: Promote and monitor access to fluids and nutrition in line with an individual’s care plan.
S10: Communicate with individuals, their families, carers and others in the workplace using techniques designed to facilitate understanding.
S11: Recognise and respond to limitations in an individual’s mental capacity.
S12: Maintain a safe and healthy working environment, using infection prevention and control techniques including hand washing, sanitisation, disinfection and personal protective equipment (PPE).
S13: Maintain the safe supply, storage, use and disposal of supplies and equipment.
S14: Move and handle equipment or other items safely and assist individuals.
S15: Take appropriate action in response to concerns, risks, incidents or errors and near misses arising in the workplace.
S16: Perform basic life support techniques.
S17: Recognise and respond to potential conflict, challenging behaviour or an escalating situation.
S18: Undertake own training and development activities and contribute to the training and development of others.
S19: Participate in appraisal to support professional development.
S20: Reflect on and develop your own practice.
S21: Record and store information related to individuals securely, including the safe use of technology.
S22: Report and share information related to individuals securely and in line with local and national policies, maintaining confidentiality, duty of confidence and disclosure.
S23: Participate in and support others with quality improvement activities in the workplace.
S24: Use investigatory techniques to source evidence to validate and improve the delivery of care and support within own scope of practice.
S25: Critically appraise sources of information and apply to practice.
S26: Provide leadership and act as a role model for others within the scope of own role.
S27: Contribute to mentoring and supervision of others in the workplace within the scope of own role.
S28: Undertake physiological measurements, selecting and using the correct tools or equipment.
S29: Support individuals with activities of daily living to develop and maintain their independence in line with their desired. outcomes and plan of care
S30: Assist with tissue viability risk assessments and manage pressure areas.
S31: Assist with wound care in line with the care plan.
S32: Obtain and test specimens in line with the care plan.
S33: Provide care and support for individuals and their family during the end-of-life phase.
S34: Contribute to signposting to relevant agencies and, discharge or transfer of individuals between services, in line with their care plan.
S35: Recognise and respond to deteriorations in physical health, mental health and wellbeing.
S36: Support adults to take responsibility for their own health and wellbeing and for managing their own condition.
S37: Assist the midwife with teaching, feeding and hygiene needs of babies-parenting skills and antenatal and postnatal exercise.
S38: Assist health care professionals with antenatal and newborn screening and provide information to parents about immunisation activities.
S39: Provide support to the maternity team by maintaining the supply of resources, instruments and equipment.
S40: Support personal care such as providing care for women with urethral catheters.
S41: Identify the baby and provide wristband or label in line with local security procedures.
S42: Care for the physical needs of babies by undertaking routine healthy baby observations and reporting any abnormalities.
S43: Support parents and carers to meet the developmental, nutritional and hygiene needs of babies.
S44: Work in partnership with families and other support services to support individuals in difficult circumstances, bereavement and loss.
S45: Provide support to the midwife and others in the multi-disciplinary team in an emergency situation during pregnancy, labour, birth or the postnatal period.
S46: Complete pre- and post-operative checklists.
S47: Support the surgical team to maintain the sterile field.
S48: Participate in team briefing, patient sign in, timeout, sign out and debriefing.
S49: Support and monitor the pre-medicated, sedated and unconscious individual.
S50: Measure and record an individual’s body fluid balance.
S51: Move, position and transport individuals and specialist equipment before, during and after surgery.
S52: Prepare the clinical environment and provide surgical instrumentation and supplementary items for the surgical team.
S53: Carry out counts for swabs, sharps, instruments and disposable items and take action if something is missing
S54: Assist in receiving, handling and dispatching clinical specimens or blood products.
S55: Use strategies and tools to promote mental wellbeing and to support individuals with mental ill health.
S56: Observe, record and report changes and barriers, using proactive approaches to manage behaviour which challenges.
S57: Take an active approach in supporting individuals to manage their condition.
S58: Build, monitor and sustain therapeutic relationships with individuals, carers and their families.
S59: Promote a recovery-based approach that enables the individual to manage their condition.
S60: Enable and empower individuals to actively participate in society and recognise the impact of mental health on them and others.
S61: Identify situations of risk to yourself or others and take action including seeking support.
S62: Involve the individual, carers and family members in risk management processes.
S63: Review and promote your own mental health and wellbeing.
S64: Support the development of children and young people through therapeutic play and learning.
S65: Support children and young people through transitions by enabling shared or independent decision making.
S66: Support parents, families and carers to meet the needs of children and young people.
S67: Support children and young people before, during or after diagnostic, clinical or therapeutic procedures.
S68: Provide therapeutic support in line with care plans to encourage independence, self-management and skills for everyday life.
S69: Assist with undertaking clinical risk assessments and management plans.
S70: Recognise the impact of mental or physical capacity, health condition, learning disability or overall wellbeing on the therapeutic or clinical task or intervention and when to adapt.
S71: Enable individuals to meet optimum potential.
S72: Facilitate group sessions to support health and well-being of individuals or communities.
S73: Support people to engage in the community and access activities or resources in line with their treatment goals.
S74: Identify, order or fit therapeutic equipment and resources in line with the individual’s care plan.
S75: Use equipment and resources therapeutically in a safe way in line with local policy and procedure.
S76: Demonstrate and teach the safe and appropriate use of therapeutic equipment and resources.
S77: Complete safety checks for therapeutic equipment and resources, following protocols to report issues or make adaptations if appropriate.
B1: Treat people with dignity.
B2: Show respect and empathy.
B3: Be adaptable, reliable and consistent.
Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level prior to taking the End-Point Assessment. For those with an education, health and care plan or a legacy statement, the apprenticeship’s English and maths minimum requirement is Entry Level 3. A British Sign Language (BSL) qualification is an alternative to the English qualification for those whose primary language is BSL.
Level 3 Diploma in Healthcare Support
24 Months
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