In many ways the last few years and above all the Covid pandemic have shaken up the job market. In a world where working from home is common, healthcare assistant jobs retain all of the social benefits of working in person, and are in high demand at the moment! A quick google search of the most in-demand jobs in the UK gives you list upon list of jobs, yet healthcare is almost always in the top five for these lists. So, if you want to get into healthcare, now is the time to do it! So here are some of the most in demand healthcare jobs right now.
Healthcare Assistant Jobs
During the pandemic care assistants were one of the few groups of essential workers who gave their all, and since then the demand for them has skyrocketed. Overall in 2022/23 for every 100 people there were 1.3 carers. This term is quite broad actually, with domiciliary carers, care assistants, agency workers, and a number of other healthcare assistant jobs falling under this category. Care assistants oversee a range of their clients and patients personal care and mobility, but also provide a friendly face and social contact for those they work for; a truly fulfilling and rewarding role.
For this category the split between full-time and part-time workers was 50/50, showing that it is a profession which can potentially allow for flexibility.
The number of vacancies in this particular area are noteworthy, with higher vacancy rates than the NHS, or other high-demand sectors like retail and teaching. This has skyrocketed since 2019, with the Covid pandemic being an obvious reason for this. Three years later however, and there are still large numbers of posts waiting to be filled.
One benefit of healthcare assistant jobs -including domiciliary carer jobs- is that it can be a great entry point into the broader healthcare profession. Generally, the minimum requirements for care assistant jobs are common GCSEs, although BTEC health care qualifications exist and may help you stand out in an application.
Nurses
Like care assistants, there has been a nationwide search for more nurses since 2019. A quick overview of the numbers shows this; the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) notes that in 2023 there were 30,000 more registered than last year, and in 2022 there were 50,000 more than in 2021! Despite this growth in the number of nurses, there are still large amounts of posts unfilled.
The NHS, one of the biggest employers of nurses in England has set out a plan to meet this demand, and aims to increase the Nursing training places by 80% by 2031. On top of this, they plan to increase the number of nurses by 2031 by 20,000 - roughly 1,333 a year. The good news then, is that whether you are currently qualified or not, there will be plenty of jobs or places in training programmes for nursing. Of course the nursing profession is varied, yet specialised nurses such as mental health nurses, and learning difficulty nurses are just as much in demand - perhaps more so because of their specialism.
The NHS is a great place to look for statistics, to get an idea of demand since it is a unified national body. However, the private sector is in just as much need of nurses, and is where the majority of the jobs are to be found. Within the private sector there is a range of different settings where nurses are needed, care homes, sheltered accomodation, on the road the list goes on. Since private nursing employers are smaller enterprises, there is often less competition for promotion, making it an ideal setting for career progression.
Given the depth of knowledge and skills nurses need, a nursing degree is required to get into the job. However, because of the demand for nurses there will be a more places available in nursing courses. One good way to build experience whilst you are studying, or to get into a nursing course are healthcare assistant jobs. Care assistant jobs allow you to familiarise yourself with the settings nurses work in, as well as the basic personal care skills required.
Healthcare Service Manager
With the large uptake in care assistants and nurses, it doesn’t take long to realise that more service managers are needed to manage and direct them! Whilst healthcare service managers are not as hands-on as their coworkers, the job they do has just a big impact on the level of care their patients and clients receive.
Mostly, service managers are hired from care workers who have knowledge and experience of what needs to be done in their workplace, whether it is a care home, residential community, or sheltered accommodation. This often means that more senior care assistants move up the career ladder in this way, freeing up more jobs for new entry level healthcare assistants. This comes through in the numbers, with 71% of service managers being recruited from within the private healthcare sector. That being said, 31% of recruitments come from outside of the sector, a notable proportion. Many of these will come from within the NHS, a similar field.
Overall, healthcare service manager positions are an ideal way of moving up the career ladder, taking on more responsibility, but also ensuring that clients and patients are receiving the best care they can get across the board in your organisation - and with the number of vacancies being higher than ever perhaps now is the time to make the move.
The big picture is quite clear; the UK needs healthcare workers more than ever. This makes jobs such as domiciliary carers, care assistants, nurses, and healthcare service managers some of the most sought after in the country. Overall, the future and prospects for those who want to make a difference in this crucially important yet fulfilling sector is bright, and the time to get in the door -whether through study or work- is now!
