Health and social care is one of the largest sectors in the UK. Approximately two million people work in the sector - ⅔ work for the NHS, with the remainder working with private healthcare providers. For people who are interested in careers for people who care about caring for others, roles within health and social care can be incredibly rewarding.
People need care for different reasons, and it’s important that the sector is structured in the right way so that they receive the best type of care. Health and social care is split into four areas of care. The first three areas are looked after by the NHS and other care providers, whilst social care is looked after by different organisations. Let’s see what’s involved.
Different health care needs require different services and specialists. These are separated into different areas of care. Let's take a look!
The first point of contact for most patients. You'll find roles include:
This tends to refer to hospital or community services, and can include procedures such as:
This refers to more specialised treatment, including:
In the sector, roles can be split into two types. Clinical roles involve patient contact to provide treatment, diagnosis, or care management, and include familiar positions such as doctors and nurses, but extend further to include roles such as occupational therapists, dietitians, and radiographers. For those seeking alternate roles, non-clinical positions such as administration, human resources, and finance are excellent options and crucial to the functioning of the industry.
There are over 350 different roles in healthcare - there’s plenty to choose from! Regardless of which role you eventually choose, every healthcare professional shares a set of principles and values that guide their daily activities.
Working in this sector is incredibly rewarding, and can be really exciting to be involved in. Health and social care roloes are crucial to our daily lives, espeically within the last few years.
Without healthcare professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic, the damage would have been much more severe. Thanks to the determination and skills of healthcare professionals in caring for those who needed it and in providing vaccinations, we’re able to be hopeful for a promising future.
The importance of healthcare staff doesn’t end there. With our population ageing and more people managing multiple health conditions, our health services need to be able to cope with the demands of the future. We need passionate, talented people within our healthcare sector, making sure that everyone has access to care when it’s needed.
Health and social care is an industry that employs a lot of people! In fact, the UK’s largest employer is the NHS, with over 1.5 million employees, including around 120,000 doctors and 300,000 nurses.
Careers in the sector aren’t just to be found with the NHS. There are plenty of private healthcare providers who are committed to providing high-quality care to patients who choose them. Like the NHS, these providers have a variety of roles that you can pursue depending on which pathway or career appeals to you.
Due to the variety of patients that healthcare staff can come into contact with, it is now mandatory for all staff to be fully vaccinated, including for COVID-19. This is to ensure that every member of staff is doing what they can to protect themselves and the patients that they serve.