Health & Social Care Career Development
Learn more about how to develop your career path in Health and Social Care. On this page you’ll find plenty of resources about career options, courses, development opportunities and more. Don’t forget, your tutor is always available to support you when it comes to any questions you may have about your career journey.
Roles in Health and Social Care Careers
There are many routes available to someone who is interested in care as a career. You may find you need to try out a few before you find one that suits you best. Each path requires slightly different skills and qualifications, some may offer a better work-life balance, some may offer better pay opportunities and some may be highly rewarding if you love working closely with people to make their lives better. Below you can explore some of the common career paths in health and social care.
Typical Health and Social Care Career Paths
Use the categories below to investigate the career paths open to you depending on your chosen area of care work.
Residential Homes are for people with ‘low’ care needs, they may be older citizens or people with disabilities. These homes provide live-in accommodation and 24-hour access to care staff.
Nursing homes provide residential accommodation as well as nursing support with personal care. They are for people with more complex needs or healthcare requirements.
Supported Living services provide community accommodation for those who wish to maintain independence, with the added assurance of on-site support care.
Community Nursing services can be private or publicly funded and provide care to individuals within their own homes on a short or long-term basis, usually through regular scheduled appointments and visits.
Domiciliary carers are regular or live-in private individuals who provide care within the client’s own home. They may provide support to maintain an independent lifestyle, or help with enrichment and outings.
Residential Home Career Paths
Residential Home Cleaners
Typical Job Titles:
Housecleaner, Cleaning Operative
Qualifications Required:
In-house training
Residential Home Care Givers
Typical Job Titles:
Carer, Support Worker, HCA (Health Care Assistant).
Qualifications Required:
In-house training, Care Certificate, Diploma Level 2, Diploma Level 3, Medication
Competency, Moving and Handling Competency
Residential Home Management
Typical Job Titles:
Area Manager, Manager, Deputy Manager
Qualifications Required:
Diploma Levels 4/5/7, Champions – Dignity/ Dementia/ Infection Prevention
Care Home Career Paths
Nursing Home Cleaners
Typical Job Titles:
Housecleaner, Cleaning Operative
Qualifications Required:
In-house training
Nursing Home Care Givers
Typical Job Titles:
Carer, Support Worker, HCA (Health Care Assistant).
Qualifications Required:
In-house training, Care Certificate, Diploma Level 2, Diploma Level 3, Medication
Competency, Moving and Handling Competency
Care Home Management
Typical Job Titles:
Head of Care, Team Leader, Senior Activities Coordinator
Qualifications Required:
Diploma Levels 3/4, Champions – Dignity/ Dementia/ Infection Prevention
Supported Living Career Paths
Supported Living Care Givers
Typical Job Titles:
Key Worker, Senior, Team Leader, House Leader
Qualifications Required:
Diploma Levels 3/4, Champions – Dignity/ Dementia/ Infection Prevention
Supported Living Management
Typical Job Titles:
Area Manager, Manager, Deputy Manager
Qualifications Required:
Diploma Levels 3/4, Champions – Dignity/ Dementia/ Infection Prevention
Nursing Career Paths
Nursing
Typical Job Titles:
Area Manager, Manager, Deputy Manager, Clinical Lead, Head of Care
Qualifications Required:
Diploma Levels 4/5/7, Champions – Dignity/ Dementia/ Infection Prevention, Registered Nurse
Nursing Leadership
Typical Job Titles:
Head of Care, Nursing Associate, Team Leader, Activities Coordinator
Qualifications Required:
Diploma Levels 3/4, Champions – Dignity/ Dementia/ Infection Prevention
Domiciliary / Extra Care Career Paths
Domiciliary/ Extra Care
Typical Job Titles:
Team Leader, Senior
Qualifications Required:
Diploma Levels 3/4, Champions – Dignity/ Dementia/ Infection Prevention
Domiciliary/ Extra Care Management
Typical Job Titles:
Manager, Deputy Manager
Qualifications Required:
Diploma Levels 3/4, Champions – Dignity/ Dementia/ Infection Prevention
Skills Required in Care
Care work requires some very specific and fundamental skills, and more so than most other industries, it’s highly important that you ensure you have adequate learning and training to perform your role to a high standard. The stakes can be higher and you’ll have more responsibility than in other industries, but care is one of the most rewarding careers out there, and those who do it well find huge amounts of fulfilment in their day to day work.
Carer / Support Worker / HCA
People in this role work directly with vulnerable people who may have specialist needs. They require patience and a high level of technical skill, but most importantly, empathy, kindness and respect.
Hard Skills Required
Moving and Handling
Medication Competency
First Aid
Food Hygiene
IT Skills
Documentation
Numeracy
Management
Soft Skills Required
Empathy
Teamwork
Time Management
Emotional Intelligence
Calm Under Pressure
Problem Solving
Communication
Creativity
Adaptability
Resilience
Team Leader / Supervisor / Senior
Team leaders, Supervisors and Seniors are responsible for the management, motivation and supervision of multiple care workers. They are likely to still administer care to clients directly, but some of their time may be taken up by other responsibilities such as the organisation of more complex care, essential paperwork and due-diligence, staff feedback and more.
Hard Skills Required
Moving and Handling
Medication Competency
First Aid
Food Hygiene
IT Skills
Documentation
Numeracy
Management
Soft Skills Required
Empathy
Teamwork
Time Management
Emotional Intelligence
Calm Under Pressure
Problem Solving
Communication
Creativity
Adaptability
Resilience
Initiative
Deputy / Clinical Lead / Head of Care
Leaders in care are still often required to perform client-facing tasks as it’s essential for them to form rapport and build confidence with those they are responsible for. They ensure that care givers are organised, trained and motivated to administer high-quality service and meet essential guidelines, rules and regulations.
Hard Skills Required
Recruitment
Budget Management / Financial Competence
Microsoft 365 (Excel, OneDrive, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, Teams, Word)
Data Presentation
Scheduling
Social Media Management
Medication Competency
First Aid
Soft Skills Required
Empathy
Teamwork
Time Management
Emotional Intelligence
Calm Under Pressure
Problem Solving
Communication
Creativity
Adaptability
Initiative
Conflict Resolution
Customer Service
Presentation Skills
Stress Management
Coaching and Mentoring
Decision Making
Organisation Skills
Resilience
Strategic Thinking
Manager / Area Manager
Managers and Area managers are often responsible for the delivery of high-quality care across multiple sites. They will liaise with local authorities and company leads to ensure strict high standards are met across the board and work with stakeholders and suppliers to delivery excellence in care, within budget.
Hard Skills Required
Recruitment, Inductions & Retention
Budget Management / Financial Analysis
Microsoft 365 (Excel, OneDrive, OneNote, Outlook, PowerPoint, Teams, Word)
Data Presentation
Scheduling
Social Media Management
Medication Competency
First Aid
Soft Skills Required
Empathy
Teamwork
Time Management
Emotional Intelligence
Calm Under Pressure
Problem Solving
Communication
Creativity
Adaptability
Initiative
Conflict Resolution
Customer Service
Presentation Skills
Stress Management
Coaching and Mentoring
Decision Making
Organisation Skills
Resilience
Strategic Thinking
Visionary
Health and Social Care Courses & Resources
Continuous learning is important for those in care as having an active interest in the latest thought leadership, research and developments can significantly improve the quality of life for the vulnerable people you work with.
Here are a few courses you can take, that we personally recommend for your professional development:
Careers Advice
Remember, when you study with NTG Training, your tutor will always be happy to answer any specific questions you may have about the next steps in your career. However, if you’d like to view our favourite online resources for careers advice, you can find them here.
National Careers Service: Becoming a Care Worker
National Careers Service: Becoming a Nursing Associate
Skills for Care: Becoming a Care Manager
GOV.UK: Career Routes Into Nursing
NHS: Careers Advice
SocialCare.co.uk: Jobs Board
Develop Your Career in Care with an Apprenticeship
Your employer can enroll you on to an apprenticeship course. Apprenticeships help you to gain a qualification while you are working.
