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Careers

Back to BTEC National Foundation Diploma in Health and Social Care (Level 3) Programme

Care Workers & Home Carers

Care workers and home carers attend to the personal needs and comforts of the elderly and the infirm with care and support needs (‘service users’) within residential care establishments, day care establishments or in their own homes.

Tasks

  • Assists and enables service users to dress, undress, wash, use the toilet and bathe
  • Serves meals to service users at table or in bed, and assists with feeding if required
  • Generally assists with service users’ overall comfort and well being
  • Provides interest and activities to stimulate and engage the service user
  • Helps with daily activities such as letter writing, paying bills, collecting benefits
  • Undertakes light cleaning and domestic duties including meal preparation as required
  • Monitors service users’ conditions by taking temperature, pulse, respiration and weight, and contributes to record keeping
  • Liaises with professional staff in carrying out care plans etc.

Entry Requirements

There are no formal academic entry requirements. In most cases workers will be required to register with the appropriate statutory body which involves satisfying the registration criteria. This would normally include holding or working towards the appropriate qualification for the job. Entrants must typically be 18 years old and have experience of working in a care environment. Both off- and on-the-job training is available. A wide range of qualifications including NVQs/SVQs covering various aspects of care are available. Background checks including a CRB check are likely to be required.


What could I earn?

Salaries for this occupation tend to start at £17,000 per annum and can progress up to £31,000 per annum.

Is it in growth or decline?

There are currently 120,980 employed Care Workers & Home Carers in the region.

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Coronavirus update

Southwark College is closely monitoring all communications and guidance as it becomes available. This information is for students and staff and reflects updates from the World Health Organisation (WHO) and Public Health England (PHE). We are prepared to escalate our contingency arrangements in the event of change.

The government is monitoring the situation closely and will continue to work with the WHO and international community. For staff and students, it remains business as usual across our sites and our workplaces.

Please note that, at present, this advice refers only to arrivals from Wuhan, and not the remainder of China. If you have returned from Wuhan you should:

General guidance for those planning visits to Wuhan or other destinations in China

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) maintains updated travel advice for those planning a trip to Wuhan or other destinations in China. This is available at:

www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/china

Note

This advice is derived from The Department of Health and Social Care will be publishing updated data on a daily basis at 2pm until further notice:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-information-for-the-public#situation-in-the-uk

Supplementary Q&A for individuals wishing to know more around how the UK is managing the risk:

https://publichealthmatters.blog.gov.uk/2020/01/23/wuhan-novel-coronavirus-what-you-need-to-know/

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