Questions and Answers about NHS Healthcare Support Workers

It will depend which area you’re working in.

There are over 30 roles that sit under the umbrella term of ‘Healthcare Support Worker’, based in seven different settings; mental health, learning disabilities, community care, acute, midwifery, children’s services and primary care.

If you work in inpatient services, for example in an acute hospital, a mental health hospital or a learning disabilities unit you might work in a shift pattern of day and night shifts. If you work in a GP surgery, outpatient clinics or in a community setting, you are more likely to follow 9am-5pm working hours.

If you see a role you’re interested in, follow the link to view it on NHS jobs, and the working hours and pattern will be detailed there.

5 to 7.30 on

Interviewers will be interested to hear why you’d like to work as a Healthcare Support Worker. What interests you about the role. Why you think you’d be well-suited to it.

Don’t worry if you don’t have any experience working in a healthcare setting; it’s not needed for this job. You’ll get all the training you need once you’re in the role. However, it could be good if you could think of some transferable skills you might have that could be useful to the role eg have you worked in a customer service role, or hospitality where you’re used to dealing with different members of the public. Maybe you’ve volunteered, or been involved in community groups or team activities at school which could show teamworking skills.

Preparation is key and you will increase your chances if you:

Check out in advance where the interview will be held, work out how to get there and arrive with plenty of time to spare. Remember that hospitals and universities can be large and busy places: you need to know exactly where you need to be for your interview

Remember the interview panel is on your side. You have been invited to the interview because they liked your application form and want to know more about you

Listen carefully to the questions they ask, and answer them as clearly as you can

Be prepared to demonstrate your understanding of the NHS values or values of the employing organisation and how you would apply them in your everyday work

Don't rush. Think about your answers. If there's something in the question you don't understand, ask for clarification

Think in advance about any questions you might have for the panel and take the opportunity to ask them at the end. This is a good chance for you to see if you think the role is right for you too.

Can you stand long periods of time? Stay focused? pay attention? understand the severity of infection control? IV drips? how quickly a patient can seem well and change?

It doesn’t matter if you’ve got no experience of working in healthcare; the Healthcare Support Worker role doesn’t require it. You’ll be offered all the training you need to be able to do the job once you start in the role.

Employers will probably ask that you have a good standard of literacy (English) and numeracy (maths).

To help keep our patients and service users safe, you’ll be required to undertake some basic nurse training in the Healthcare Support Worker role. You’ll also work towards completing the Care Certificate, which is currently being offered on a ‘fast track’ basis with the opportunity to complete it within your first few weeks.

As you develop, you’ll be given more responsibility and you’ll have the opportunity to gain qualifications and progress. This, plus the experience you gain, will help you if you’re planning to take your career to the next level.

We’re always looking for people with transferable skills who can bring life experience and insights from working in other sectors. So don’t rule yourself out just because you have a non-traditional background, or because you don’t have clinical or degree-level qualifications.

And it doesn’t matter what stage you’re at in your life….whether you’re just starting out in the world of work, or whether you’re later on in life and looking for a new challenge or a career change. Being a Healthcare Support Worker is about attitude and teamwork.

There are more tips and advice on improving your chances of finding a job in healthcare here on the NHS Health Careers website https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/career-planning/improving-your-chances

You can find Mental Health Support Worker Vacancies available in your area here on Indeed indeed.co.uk/Mental-Health-Support-Worker-jobs. Use the search bars at the top to include your postcode to find vacancies near you.

If there are currently no vacancies in your area, you can sign up to receive email job alerts via the Indeed site

You can also sign up for NHS vacancy email alerts via the NHS Jobs site at www.jobs.nhs.uk/xi/search_vacancy/. These can be tailored so that you receive alerts for specific roles eg band 2 Mental Health Support Worker when they become available in your area.

During the current pandemic, you may be interviewed via a videocall on a platform like Microsoft Teams, or you may be invited to attend a socially-distanced interview at the building where the job is based, or another site.

You’ll be given a time and date, and may be given the details of who will be on the interview panel. This might include someone from HR, the manager of the team you’d be working in, a patient or carer representative.

Everyone being interviewed will be asked the same set of questions.

Interviewers will be interested to hear why you’d like to work as a Healthcare Support Worker. What interests you about the role. Why you think you’d be well-suited to it. Don’t worry if you don’t have any experience working in a healthcare setting; it’s not needed for this job. You’ll get all the training you need once you’re in the role

However, it could be good if you could think of some transferable skills you might have that could be useful to the role eg have you worked in a customer service role, or hospitality where you’re used to dealing with different members of the public. Maybe you’ve volunteered, or been involved in community groups or team activities at school which could show teamworking skills.

Preparation is key and you will increase your chances if you:

Check out in advance where the interview will be held, work out how to get there and arrive with plenty of time to spare. Remember that hospitals and universities can be large and busy places: you need to know exactly where you need to be for your interview
Remember the interview panel is on your side. You have been invited to the interview because they liked your application form and want to know more about you
Listen carefully to the questions they ask, and answer them as clearly as you can
Be prepared to demonstrate your understanding of the NHS values or values of the employing organisation and how you would apply them in your everyday work
Don't rush. Think about your answers. If there's something in the question you don't understand, ask for clarification
Think in advance about any questions you might have for the panel and take the opportunity to ask them at the end. This is a good chance for you to see if you think the role is right for you too.

For more application and interview tips follow NHS Jobs on Facebook: facebook.com/NHSJobs/

Or visit the NHS Health Careers website: healthcareers.nhs.uk/career-planning/improving-your-chances/planning-your-career/applications-and-interviews

To be considered for an interview you’ll need to complete the online application form, which will be linked to from the job advert.

Candidates are shortlisted without the panel knowing any personal information. Shortlisted candidates are then invited for interview.

Staff working for the NHS on Agenda for Change terms and conditions (including Healthcare Support Workers) get:

On appointment - 27 days plus public holidays

After five years – 29 days plus public holidays

After ten years – 33 days plus public holidays

This will be less if you work part-time but will be pro-rata to your working pattern.

It is highly unlikely that you’ll be able to work remotely in a Healthcare Support Worker role, as most tasks you’ll do are patient-facing in both community and inpatient settings eg taking observations, weights, blood pressure readings, supporting theatre or ward staff in their daily duties etc. Administrative tasks may include things like re-stocking stores or updating patient records.