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Overview

Overview

How to use the framework and the bridge guidance. 

Developing and progressing as a Healthcare Support Worker (HCSW)

Career development can happen in different ways. Practitioners may wish to develop higher levels of responsibility, knowledge and skills (vertical progression) or to remain at the same level of the career framework but build on existing knowledge and skills to focus on a particular career pathway/pillar e.g., Facilitation of Learning or Leadership (horizontal progression).

How do I move from Level 2-4 on the career framework to Level 5?

If you would like to develop your career into a Level 5 role you would normally require a recognised professional qualification.

A Level 5 Registered Practitioner has:

  • Successfully completed a diploma level pre-registration programme as a minimum (SCQF Levels 8 –10).
  • Registered on a professional register for example The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) or The Health and Care Professions Council (HCPC).

Why use the HCSW Learning Framework?

Using the Healthcare Support Worker (HCSW) Learning Framework to develop your role across the four pillars of practice will support you to meet job and/or career aspirations. The HCSW Learning Framework can also support you to develop your knowledge and skills within your current role.

The HCSW Learning Framework supports clinical HCSWs to learn and develop in their current post or progress to higher level support worker roles. It is designed to:

  • Mirror the same principles as the Levels 5 – 8 of the NMAHP Post-registration Development Framework for registered nurses, midwives and allied health professions
  • Support annual development review conversations e.g. NHS Knowledge and Skills Framework
  • Support Healthcare Support Workers and leaders to make informed choices about learning.

The HCSW Learning Framework is designed to take all of this into account, to empower healthcare support workers and leaders to make good choices about their learning, support meaningful personal development plan and review conversations and can be used as a tool to review team members development. We know that when staff and teams are learning, the people they care for and provide treatment to have better outcomes.