The route, drawn out
DWG D23A · 4 stops · 1 year to qualify-
Day one Start as an apprentice from £15.6k
-
1 year Fully qualified around £24.5k
-
+3–5 years Experienced up to £30k
-
Then Senior healthcare support worker (level 3) next step
The first figures are legal minimums: the apprentice rate (£8.00/hr) and the National Minimum Wage for 18–20s and 21+ from April 2026, on a 37.5-hour week. Qualified and experienced pay are indicative UK ranges — most employers pay apprentices above the minimum.
What the job is
Healthcare support workers do the direct, personal care that patients remember: helping people wash, eat, move and stay comfortable, taking observations, and being the person who notices when something changes.
It is the classic entry point to an NHS career. Trusts recruit continuously, there are no formal entry requirements for many level 2 posts, and the apprenticeship ladder runs all the way from here to registered nurse — paid throughout.
A typical day
- Support patients with washing, dressing, eating and mobility
- Take and record observations such as blood pressure and temperature
- Help with moving and handling safely
- Report changes in a patient's condition promptly
- Maintain dignity, privacy and infection control
How you get in
- Often no formal qualifications required — values and attitude are assessed
- Level 1-2 English and maths, with support available
- Enhanced DBS check and occupational health clearance
- You must be able to work shifts, including nights and weekends
Where it leads
- Senior healthcare support worker (level 3)
- Nursing associate (level 5), then registered nurse (level 6)
- Specialist areas: theatres, maternity, mental health, community
- Assistant practitioner and advanced clinical roles
Where to train for this
291 colleges and training providers on our list cover Healthcare Support Worker training. Open your region to see them, then check current intakes with the provider directly.
East Midlands 16
- Boston College
- Buxton & Leek College
- Chesterfield College
- Derby College Group
- Grantham College
- Leicester College
- Lincoln College
- Loughborough College
- North Notts College
- Northampton College
- Nottingham College
- Nottingham University Hospitals
- Portland College
- SMB Group (Stephenson & Brooksby Melton)
- Stamford College
- West Nottinghamshire College
East of England 21
- Barnfield College
- Bedford College Group
- Cambridge Regional College
- Cambridge University Hospitals
- Chelmsford College
- City College Norwich
- City College Peterborough
- Colchester Institute
- College of West Anglia
- East Coast College
- East Suffolk and North Essex NHS Foundation Trust
- Harlow College
- Hertford Regional College
- Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals
- North Hertfordshire College
- Oaklands College
- Peterborough College (Inspire Education Group)
- South Essex College
- Suffolk New College
- West Herts College
- West Suffolk College
London 26
- Barking & Dagenham College
- Barnet and Southgate College
- Capital City College
- City Lit
- College of Haringey, Enfield and North East London
- Croydon College
- Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust
- HRUC — Harrow, Richmond & Uxbridge Colleges
- Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust
- King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
- Lewisham College
- London Ambulance Service
- London South East Colleges
- Morley College London
- New City College
- Newham College
- Redbridge Institute of Adult Education
- Richmond and Hillcroft Adult Community College
- Richmond upon Thames College
- South Thames Colleges Group
- Stanmore College
- United Colleges Group
- Waltham Forest College
- West London College
- West Thames College
- Westminster Kingsway College
North East 15
- Bishop Auckland College
- Darlington College
- Derwentside College
- East Durham College
- Education Training Collective
- Gateshead College
- Hartlepool College of Further Education
- Middlesbrough College
- New College Durham
- Newcastle College
- Northumberland College
- South Tyneside College
- Sunderland College
- The Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Trust
- Tyne Coast College
North West 34
- Blackburn College
- Blackpool and The Fylde College
- Bolton College
- Burnley College
- Bury College
- Carlisle College
- Cheshire College South & West
- Furness College
- Hopwood Hall College
- Hugh Baird College
- Kendal College
- Lakes College West Cumbria
- Lancaster and Morecambe College
- Macclesfield College
- Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
- Nelson and Colne / NLTG Training
- Nelson and Colne College Group
- North West Ambulance Service
- Oldham College
- Preston's College
- Riverside College
- Runshaw College
- Salford City College
- Southport College
- St Helens College
- Tameside College
- The City of Liverpool College
- The Manchester College
- Total People
- Trafford & Stockport College Group
- Warrington & Vale Royal College
- West Lancashire College
- Wigan & Leigh College
- Wirral Metropolitan College
South East 31
- Abingdon & Witney College
- Activate Learning
- Andover College
- Basingstoke College of Technology
- Brighton Met College
- Brooklands College
- Buckinghamshire College Group
- Chichester College Group
- City College Southampton
- City of Portsmouth College (formerly Highbury)
- East Kent Colleges Group
- East Kent Hospitals University NHS Trust
- East Surrey College
- East Sussex College
- Eastleigh College
- Farnborough College of Technology
- Havant & South Downs College (HSDC)
- Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust
- MidKent College
- Milton Keynes College
- Milton Keynes University Hospital
- Nescot (North East Surrey College of Technology)
- Newbury College
- North Kent Colleges Group
- Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust
- Oxford University Hospitals
- South Hampshire College Group (Fareham & CEMAST)
- The Isle of Wight College
- The Windsor Forest Colleges Group
- University Hospital Southampton
- University Hospitals Sussex
South West 20
- Bath College
- Bournemouth & Poole College
- Bridgwater & Taunton College
- City College Plymouth
- City of Bristol College
- Coastland College
- Exeter College
- Gloucestershire College
- Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Trust
- New College Swindon
- North Devon College (formerly Petroc)
- SGS College
- South Devon College
- South Western Ambulance Service
- Strode College
- The Cornwall College Group
- Truro and Penwith College
- Weston College
- Wiltshire College & University Centre
- Yeovil College
UK-wide 25
- Anchor
- Babington
- Barchester Healthcare
- BPP
- Care UK
- Home Instead
- Learning Curve Group
- Lifetime Training
- LMP Group
- MHA
- NHS Employers
- NHS Jobs
- Paragon Skills
- Realise
- VQ Solutions
- NHS Grampian
- NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
- NHS Lothian
- NHS Scotland Careers
- Scottish Ambulance Service
- Skills Development Scotland
- Adult Learning Wales
- British Army
- NHS Health Careers
- Royal Navy
West Midlands 28
- Birmingham Metropolitan College (BMet)
- Burton & South Derbyshire College
- City of Wolverhampton College
- Coventry College
- Dudley College of Technology
- Halesowen College
- Heart of Worcestershire College
- Herefordshire, Ludlow & North Shropshire College
- Hereward College
- Kidderminster College
- Newcastle and Stafford Colleges Group
- North Warwickshire and South Leicestershire College
- Performance Through People (PTP)
- Queen Alexandra College
- Sandwell College
- Shrewsbury College
- Solihull College & University Centre
- South & City College Birmingham
- South Staffordshire College
- Stoke on Trent College
- Stratford-upon-Avon College
- Telford College
- The Shrewsbury and Telford Hospital NHS Trust
- University Hospitals Birmingham
- University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire
- Walsall College
- Warwickshire College Group (WCG)
- West Midlands Ambulance Service
Yorkshire and the Humber 23
- Barnsley College
- Bradford College
- Calderdale College
- Craven College
- Dearne Valley College
- Doncaster College
- East Riding College
- Grimsby Institute
- Harrogate College
- Heart of Yorkshire Education Group
- Hull College
- Hull University Teaching Hospitals
- Kirklees College
- Leeds City College
- Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust
- North Lindsey College
- Northern College
- Rotherham College
- Scarborough TEC
- Shipley College
- The Sheffield College
- York College
- Yorkshire Ambulance Service