Care workers and home carers

Average National Salaries (2020)

What does this career do?

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.

Typical 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.

Current 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.

Percentage in work

• Employed

• Unemployed

Due to insufficient sample sizes, some data was excised.

Predicted employment status in 2022

• Full-time

• Part-time

• Self Employed

Predicted employment levels in the East Midlands

Career related courses available at West Notts

• Access to HE Diploma (Healthcare Professions) - Level 3
• Online - Access to HE Diploma (Nursing) - Level 3

About the statistics

Data is powered by LMI for All and is sourced from labour market statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the Institute for Employment Research, the Department for Works and Pensions, and the UK Commission for Employment and Skills.