Careers in the NHS

Opportunities in the UK Health

Sector
Aims:

•To know more about the jobs in the health sector

•To explore a range of occupations

•To know a lot more about the options

•To understand how to improve your chance of a career

Why will employers need more young people?
• Impact of population change and public health trends -
on both the Supply of people to fill jobs and the
Demand for healthcare services

• Lots of people leaving the workforce by 2022 will need

to be replaced

• Growth in some parts of the sector will create new jobs

• Existing jobs are changing; employers need higher

level skills
So what do you think of when I say Health and
Care sector?
Some of the places people work in
the health sector
• Hospitals

• Dentists

• Care homes

• GP practice ‘going to the doctors’

• Rehabilitation centres

• Day centres

• Hospices
and…..
• In the community

• Child care

• Residential care

• Opticians and opthalmists

• Sports injury clinics

• Life sciences
The Health Workforce in the UK
• The Health and Social Care sector has around 4 million jobs across the
UK – this makes it the second largest employment sector in the UK

• This definition focuses on people working in ‘Human health activities’; in

other words those in hospitals, doctors surgeries, and community health

• It also includes Social care - the people involved in providing care for
children and adults in residential settings and social workers

• The NHS employs around 1.3 million people in over 300 different types
of work

(Source: ONS and Health Education England)

The NHS Workforce in the UK
Doctors 114,000

Nursing staff 362,000

(includes nurses, midwives, school nurses and health
visitors)
Scientific, therapeutic and technical staff (includes 159,000
radiographers, speech and language therapists, healthcare
scientists)
Support to clinical staff 372,000

Infrastructure support 215,000

(Includes managers, admin, IT, estates etc.)

(Source: Health and Social Care Information Centre, November 2015)

What are the big issues for the
health sector?
Population change – The UK has an aging population, with more older
people living longer and less young people.

This means increasing demand for healthcare – and for young people to
enter the workforce!
 
Public Health issues and trends – Key issues include:

•Early deaths from cancer and smoking

•Obesity amongst young people and adults
•People with diabetes
•Early deaths from heart disease and strokes
•Teenage pregnancies
•People smoking during pregnancy
What are the big issues for the
health sector?
• Greater knowledge about health, and higher expectations of
healthcare – assisted by the Media, Internet

• Technology changes – higher level of skills needed in the workforce -

including STEM knowledge and skills

• Prevention and well-being - people living longer, healthier lives

• Greater emphasis on delivery closer to home, in the community

and a range of settings - to suit peoples’ lifestyles

• Funding the NHS to meet increasing demand and continuous

improvement of its services
What does this mean for jobs and
careers?
• Move to higher skilled employees
• New job roles and careers
• Lifelong learning and skills improvement is a must for everyone
• Need for MORE people to replace the staff who will retire, gain
promotion or leave
• Opportunities for progress and promotion
• A range of entry and progression routes, from apprenticeships
and trainee and student posts to further and higher education
qualifications
So how many jobs will there be
across the UK?
• Employment across the Health and Social Care sector overall is
projected to grow between 2012 and 2022: it is anticipated that
there could be as many as 700,000 new workers across the UK

• In addition there are expected to be an additional 1.4 million job

openings as a result of people leaving the workforce

• In Health, the majority of employment growth is projected among

highly skilled occupations (therefore competition for skills is likely
to be high)

(Source: Sector Insights 2015, UKCES)

A patient pathway: Danny’s Journey

Workshop Activity
Photos of the film case studies

Youtube links inserted here

Accident and Emergency
• In 2013-14, there were 18.5 million accident and emergency (A&E)
attendances recorded at major A&E departments, single specialty
A&E departments, walk-in centres and minor injury units in England

• Around 20% were aged 14 or under, 40% were aged between 15 to

44

• The busiest day is a Monday and the busiest time on the day was
11.00am

• Around a quarter arrive by ambulance

(Source: HSCIC Hospital Episode Statistics)

 Insert photos here

Paul Radiographer
Michael (or other appropriate health careers film) Healthcare
assistant
Michelle Nurse
Chantelle Patient transport service driver
Abby Dental nurse
Cancer
• Cancer is a very common condition and more than one in three people
will develop some form of cancer during their lifetime

• There are over 200 different types of cancer, each with its own methods
of diagnosis and treatment

• In the UK, the four most common types of cancer are:

– breast cancer
– lung cancer
– prostate cancer
– bowel cancer

• These types of cancer accounted for over half (53%) of all new cases

(Source: NHS Choices)

 Insert photos here

Mill GP
Michelle Nurse
Andrew Haematologist
Ruth, Healthcare scientist
Paul Radiographer
Shenice Radiology support worker
Nish Anaesthetist
Matt Operations department practitioner(ODP)
Duncan Surgeon
Ryan Medical engineer
Michael ( or other appropriate health careers film) Healthcare
assistant
Jacques Pharmacy assistant
Scott Dietitian
Caring for the Elderly
• Population growth and demographic change are fundamental
drivers of future health care demand

• As the population grows the need for healthcare will rise:

• Nearly two-thirds of people admitted to hospital are over 65 years old

• There has been a 65% increase in hospital treatments

• Someone over 85 is 25 times more likely to spend a day in hospital than

someone under 65 – and spends around eight days longer in hospital per
stay than someone under 65 (11 days compared to 3)

• The number of older people with a care need is predicted to rise by 61% by
2030

(Source: The NHS belongs to the people: A Call to Action – The Technical Annex NHS
England, 2013)
Caring for the elderly
• Population ageing is a ‘game changer’ for health and social care
services

• Getting older brings an increasing chance of long-term medical

conditions, frailty, dementia, disability, dependence or social
isolation

• In their daily working lives, most clinicians (Doctors) spend more

time providing care to people over the age of 75 years than to
any other age group

(Source: Safe, compassionate care for frail older people using an integrated care pathway:
NHS England, 2014)
 Insert photos here

Mill GP
Michelle Nurse
Andrew Haematologist
Chantelle Patient transport service driver
Ruth, Healthcare scientist
Scott Dietitian
Nish Anaesthetist
Duncan Surgeon
Matt Operations department practitioner(ODP)
Ryan Medical Engineer
Michael Healthcare assistant
Jacques Pharmacy assistant
Diabetes
• There are 3.9 million people living with diabetes in the UK. This
means more that than one in 16 people in the UK has diabetes
(diagnosed or undiagnosed)

• This figure has more than doubled since 1996, when there were
1.4 million

• By 2025, it is estimated that five million people will have diabetes

in the UK

(Source: NHS Choices)

 Insert photos here

Ruth, Healthcare scientist

Mill GP
Scott Dietitian
Michelle Nurse
Genomics
• You have a complete set of genes in almost every healthy cell in your body. One
set of all these genes, (plus the DNA between the genes), is called a genome

• Genomics is the study of the whole genome and how it works

• Genomics can be used to predict how well a person will respond to a treatment
or find one that will work best for them – so called personalised medicine

• Genomics is one of the fastest growing areas of research and development. In

the UK, a prime focus is the 100,000 Genome Project

• The project will sequence 100,000 genomes from around 70,000 people.
Participants are NHS patients with a rare disease, plus their families, and
patients with cancer

• To find out more about the Genomics Project you can watch this video
https://www.genomicseducation.hee.nhs.uk/resources/videos

(Source: Health Education England and Genomics England)

 Insert photos here

Mill GP
Miranda Genomics Practitioner
Ruth Healthcare scientist
Michelle Nurse
Amputations
Amputations occur as a result of a range of conditions, including: 

•Traffic accidents and sports injuries

•The long—term impact of diabetes

•Cancer or a serious infection

•Injuries to serving armed services personnel

As a result of these and other conditions, approximately 5-6,000 major limb

amputations are carried out in England every year.
(Source: NHS Choices)
 Insert photos here

Ruth, Healthcare scientist

Nish Anaesthetist
Matt Operations department practitioner(ODP)
Duncan Surgeon
Ryan Medical engineer
Michael ( or other appropriate health careers film) Healthcare
assistant
Michelle Nurse
Aaron Physiotherapist
Sports injuries
• Playing sport and doing regular exercise is good for your health, but can
sometimes result in injuries. Sports injuries can be caused by:
– an accident – such as a fall or heavy blow
– not warming up properly before exercising
– using inappropriate equipment or poor technique
– pushing yourself too hard

• In 2013/14 there were almost 350,000 attendances at Accident and

Emergency Centres as a result of a sports injury. That’s almost 100 per
day!

• The main days for sports injuries are… Saturday and Sunday

• Around three quarters were males and over half were males aged
between 10 to 29

(Source: NHS Choices and HSCIC Health Episode Statistics)

 Insert photos here

Paul Radiographer
Nish Anaesthetist
Matt Operations department practitioner(ODP)
Duncan Surgeon
Ryan Medical engineer
Michael (or other appropriate health careers film) Healthcare
assistant
Michelle Nurse
Aaron Physiotherapist
Chantelle Patient transport service driver
Stroke
• In the UK, strokes are a major health problem

• Every year, around 110,000 people have a stroke in England and it is

the third largest cause of death, after heart disease and cancer

• The brain injuries caused by strokes are a major cause of adult disability
in the UK

• Older people are most at risk of having strokes, although they can
happen at any age – including in children

(Source: NHS Choices)

 Insert photos here

Ruth, Healthcare scientist

Mill GP
Paul Radiographer
Nish Anaesthetist
Matt Operations department practitioner(ODP)
Duncan Surgeon
Ryan Medical engineer
Michael Healthcare assistant
Scott Dietitian
Michelle Nurse
Jacques Pharmacy assistant
Aaron Physiotherapist
Chantelle Patient transport service driver
Transplants
• Currently there are over 7,000 people on the UK national
transplant waiting list

• Each year donors give around two million donations of blood and
3,500 organs, saving and transforming thousands of lives

• The NHS manages the National Transplant Database which

includes details of all donors and patients who are waiting for, or
who have received, a transplant

• The largest group of patients on the list are those waiting for
kidney transplants - over 5,000

(Source: NHS Blood and Transplant website, viewed March 2016)

 Insert photos here

Mill GP
Paul Radiographer
Nish Anaesthetist
Matt Operations department practitioner(ODP)
Duncan Surgeon
Ryan Medical engineer
Michael (or other appropriate health careers film) Healthcare
assistant
Michelle Nurse
Aaron Physiotherapist
Chantelle Patient transport service driver
Key routes into the NHS
• A traineeship is an education and training programme with work
experience that helps young people to be ‘work ready’, and can be the
gateway to jobs and apprenticeships

• An apprenticeship is a work-based training programme designed around

the needs of employers – and more and more Trusts and healthcare
employers are using this route

• Further Education – Sixth FE colleges over a wide range of health-

related courses, including BTECs, NVQs and Foundation Degrees

• Higher Education route – this is the main route for doctors, healthcare
scientists, nurses and allied health professionals
Skills and Qualities
Alongside qualifications, other skills and qualities are helpful for most
healthcare roles:

•Good interpersonal skills

•Keen to develop professionally and personally
•Understanding the requirement of confidentiality
•An ability to ask for help and guidance if required
•Good Computer Skills
•Being able to deal with problems in a calm and efficient manner
•Effective time management
•Caring and empathetic nature

AND

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics skills are in great

demand
Values and Behaviours
The NHS Constitution outlines the key shared aims:

•Working Together for Patients

e.g. Respect for colleagues
•Respect and Dignity
e.g. Seeing things from another person’s perspective
•Everyone Counts
e.g. Appreciation that everybody counts regardless of age, race and
ethnicity
•Commitment to Quality of Care
e.g. Taking personal responsibility for your actions
•Compassion
e.g. Listening to how others are feeling
•Improving Lives
e.g. Motivation to make a difference
What have we learnt?
• Why the health sector is important in the UK

• The big issues for the health sector

• What that means for jobs and the need for

young people

• The importance of values, behaviours, skills

and qualities – ’it’s not all about qualifications’
Any Questions?
Further Information
Apprenticeship and Job Information
 
NHS Jobs https://www.jobs.nhs.uk/
 
National Apprenticeship Service http://www.apprenticeships.gov.uk/
 
And NHS Foundation Trust websites
 
Careers Information
 
Health Careers https://www.healthcareers.nhs.uk/
 
National Careers Service helpline and website
https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/Pages/Home.aspx
 
Skills for Health
http://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/
 Thank you!

NHS Ambassador contact details can be added

here if desired