jobfacts

Nursing auxiliaries and assistants

SOC 2020 6131

Nursing auxiliaries and assistants assist doctors, nurses and other health professionals in caring for the sick and injured within hospitals, homes, clinics and the wider community.

Also calledHealthcare assistantSupport workerNursing assistantNursing auxiliaryPodiatry assistantChiropody assistantand 144 more titles
Typical full-time pay£29,1002025 Provisional
People in the job338,000across the UK
Demand for workersNot high
New adverts a month7,700↓ 5.5%on last year · 18th of 412

Pay

ONS · ASHE 2025

Half of full-time nursing auxiliaries and assistants earn between £25,200 and £33,300 a year.

What full-time nursing auxiliaries and assistants earn, 2025
£29,100 typical£21,600lowest 10%£25,20025%£33,30075%£38,400top 10%
Middle half (£25,200–£33,300)
Show as table
Lowest 10% earn less than£21,600
Lowest 20% earn less than£24,300
25%£25,200
Median£29,100
75%£33,300
Top 20% earn more than£34,600
Top 10% earn more than£38,400
Typical pay by regionUK median £29,100
Scotland£33,000
London£32,500
Wales£29,600
East Midlands£29,400
South West£28,700
East of England£28,700
South East£28,100
Yorkshire and The Humber£27,900
North West£27,200
North East£26,900
West Midlands£26,900
Show as table
UK median, £29,100
Scotland£33,000
London£32,500
Wales£29,600
East Midlands£29,400
South West£28,700
East of England£28,700
South East£28,100
Yorkshire and The Humber£27,900
North West£27,200
North East£26,900
West Midlands£26,900
Typical pay over 3 years
  • 2023 £25,100
  • 2024 £28,000
  • 2025 Provisional£29,100
↑ 16% since 2023Provisional figures are revised when ONS publishes the next year’s survey.

Jobs and demand

ONS · Textkernel adverts · DfE

About 7,700 jobs for nursing auxiliaries and assistants are advertised each month. The Department for Education rates demand for workers as not high.

New job adverts a month, Jan 2017 to Aug 2026
New advertsMonth not published by ONS (2 in all)
Show as table
Aug 20267,242
Jul 20267,550
Jun 2026Not published
May 20267,470
Apr 20267,897
Mar 2026Not published
Feb 20267,266
Jan 20268,693
Dec 20254,063
Nov 20258,973
Oct 20258,687
Sept 20259,169
Aug 20258,249
Jul 20258,763
Jun 20258,030
May 20258,905
Apr 20257,590
Mar 20258,328
Feb 20258,190
Jan 20258,709
Dec 20245,742
Nov 20248,056
Oct 20248,662
Sept 20248,665
Aug 20248,685
Jul 20249,390
Jun 20249,052
May 20249,810
Apr 20249,288
Mar 20247,939
Feb 20247,952
Jan 20249,068
Dec 20237,115
Nov 20238,019
Oct 20237,396
Sept 20237,183
Aug 20238,257
Jul 20238,391
Jun 202311,507
May 202311,584
Apr 202310,008
Mar 202312,075
Feb 202311,934
Jan 202314,566
Dec 202213,516
Nov 202215,963
Oct 202215,243
Sept 202214,500
Aug 202214,970
Jul 202214,603
Jun 202214,282
May 202215,651
Apr 202213,370
Mar 202215,206
Feb 202214,179
Jan 202216,198
Dec 202113,647
Nov 202116,341
Oct 202115,185
Sept 202113,535
Aug 202113,277
Jul 202114,928
Jun 202112,718
May 202112,522
Apr 202111,072
Mar 202113,418
Feb 202110,222
Jan 202112,462
Dec 202010,873
Nov 202010,373
Oct 202013,373
Sept 202011,433
Aug 202010,912
Jul 20209,890
Jun 202010,100
May 202010,686
Apr 202013,297
Mar 202014,023
Feb 202012,991
Jan 202013,309
Dec 20199,741
Nov 201911,863
Oct 201912,147
Sept 201910,672
Aug 201910,586
Jul 201911,571
Jun 201912,062
May 201911,843
Apr 20198,356
Mar 20199,929
Feb 20199,007
Jan 201910,871
Dec 20186,952
Nov 201810,591
Oct 20189,950
Sept 201810,153
Aug 20189,026
Jul 20188,666
Jun 20188,884
May 20188,046
Apr 20187,648
Mar 20188,375
Feb 20187,607
Jan 20189,525
Dec 20176,700
Nov 20178,806
Oct 20178,992
Sept 20178,183
Aug 20179,175
Jul 20178,854
Jun 201710,917
May 201710,797
Apr 20179,446
Mar 201710,585
Feb 20178,123
Jan 20179,604
Is there a shortage of nursing auxiliaries and assistants?
Not high

The Department for Education rates demand as not high, elevated or critical, using five indicators. This is its 2025 assessment; in 2024 it was critical.

  • Visas grantedAbove usual
  • Online job advertsAbove usual
  • Wage growthAbove usual
  • Pay against similar jobsUsual
  • Hours workedUsual
Note: uncertainty in change in hourly wage.
Vacancies hard to fill because of skills
17%against 27% for all jobs
DfE Employer Skills Survey 2024.
Where the most jobs are advertisedadverts a quarter
London2,096
Somerset368
Birmingham363
Cornwall294
North Yorkshire290
Manchester274
Wiltshire240
Leeds236
Bristol, City of217
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole204
London is published as one area. Averages leave out quarters ONS withheld.
Where nursing auxiliaries and assistants are most concentratedShare of local job adverts, compared with the UK.

Recruitment from abroad. 44 sponsored work visas were granted for this job from July 2025 to June 2026, most to people from India, Nigeria, Pakistan, ranking it 146th of 313. Home Office

Who does it

ONS · Annual Population Survey · April 2025 to March 2026
Age of nursing auxiliaries and assistants
8.5%!
22%
23%
22%
20%
4.7%!
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
16–248.5% (small sample)
25–3422%
35–4423%
45–5422%
55–6420%
65+4.7% (small sample)
Highest qualification
Degree or equivalent34%
Higher education below degree14%
A levels or equivalent26%
GCSEs or equivalent16%
Other qualifications6.9%
No qualifications!2.2%
!Small sample: treat with caution
Show as table
Degree or equivalent34%
Higher education below degree14%
A levels or equivalent26%
GCSEs or equivalent16%
Other qualifications6.9%
No qualifications2.2% (small sample)

Main employers: hospital activities (51%), regulation of the activities of providing health care, education, cultural services and other social services, excluding social security (15%), other human health activities (15%), residential care activities for learning disabilities, mental health and substance abuse (4.9%).

How to get in

Hold a degree
34%
as their highest qualification
Apprenticeships
3
from level 2
Apprenticeships take
8 months to 2 years
typically
T Levels
1
college courses for 16 to 19 year olds

Routes in

Healthcare assistant

You can get into this job through:

College

You could do a college course, which may help you when looking for work.

Courses include:

  • preparing for further study in health, social care and social work
  • health and social care
  • T Level in Health

Most health and social care courses include work placements which is a good way to get experience.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do a Healthcare Support Worker Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship, or Senior Healthcare Support Worker Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • no specific qualifications or experience to apply for a foundation apprenticeship
  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Other ways in

Work your way up

You could work as a trainee care assistant in a residential home or care home while you complete a qualification to become a healthcare assistant.

Volunteering

Volunteering in the NHS is a good way to get work experience in healthcare. This can be helpful when you apply for jobs or training.

You can also find opportunities through The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and Do it.

What you’ll need

  • pass enhanced background checks

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

You would be expected to have an understanding of how the NHS values would apply in your work.

Professional and industry bodies

You may find it useful to join the Royal College of Nursing to find professional development and training opportunities.

Further information

You can find out more about becoming a healthcare assistant from Health Careers.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for healthcare assistant. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Podiatry assistant

You can get into this job through:

College

You could do a college course to help you to become a podiatry assistant.

Most health and social care courses include work placements and this can be a good way of getting experience.

You could do a Level 2 Diploma in Skills for Health and Care Professions or a Level 3 Extended Diploma in Health and Social Care.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course

Apprenticeship

You could do a Senior Healthcare Support Worker Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship, which has a training option for podiatry assistants.

When recruiting, employers might choose apprentices who have experience as a support worker.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Other ways in

Work your way up

You could start as a healthcare assistant and learn on the job. You could then move into podiatry through training and promotion.

Volunteering

Volunteering in the NHS is a good way to get work experience in healthcare. This can be helpful when you apply for jobs or training.

Apply directly

You can apply directly for podiatry assistant roles if you've got relevant skills and experience.

You might need a qualification in a health related subject and experience of working with people.

Other routes

You could be self employed and provide foot care to the general public, rather than in the NHS.

You'll need to take a Diploma in Foot Health Practice.

You'll then need to become a member of The Alliance of Private Sector Practitioners and work as a foot health practitioner.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

You would be expected to have an understanding of how the NHS values would impact your work, if applying for jobs in the NHS.

Further information

You can find out more about becoming a podiatry assistant from The Alliance of Private Sector Practitioners and Health Careers.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for podiatry assistant. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Physiotherapy assistant

You can get into this job through:

College

You could do a college course, which would teach you some of the skills and knowledge you need in this job. Relevant subjects include:

  • Level 2 Certificate in Healthcare Support Services
  • Level 3 Diploma in Healthcare Support
  • Level 3 National Diploma in Sport and Exercise Science

Most health and social care courses include work placements, which is a good way for you to get practical experience.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course

Apprenticeship

You can do a Healthcare Support Worker Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship or a Senior Healthcare Support Worker Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Other ways in

Work your way up

You could start as a healthcare assistant and learn on the job, then move into physiotherapy work through further training and promotion.

Volunteering

Volunteering in the NHS is a good way to get work experience in healthcare. This can be helpful when you apply for jobs or training.

You can also find opportunities through The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and Do it.

Apply directly

You can apply directly for jobs if you've got relevant skills and experience from working in a healthcare or sports exercise setting. Some employers may ask for a qualification in healthcare and GCSE subjects like maths and English.

What you’ll need

  • pass enhanced background checks
  • have a first aid certificate

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

You would be expected to have an understanding of how the NHS values would apply in your work.

Further information

You can find out more about how to become a physiotherapy assistant from the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy and Health Careers.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for physiotherapy assistant. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Radiography assistant

You can get into this job through:

College

You may find it useful to do a college course before applying for jobs, for example:

  • Level 2 Certificate in Health and Social Care
  • Level 3 Diploma in Healthcare Support
  • A level in a science
  • T Level in Healthcare Science
Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths for a T Level

Apprenticeship

You could do a Healthcare Science Assistant Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship.

This takes between 12 and 18 months to complete.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

Other ways in

Work your way up

You could start as a healthcare assistant and work your way up through training and promotion.

Volunteering

Volunteering in the NHS is a good way to get work experience in healthcare. This can be helpful when you apply for jobs or training.

You can also find opportunities through The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and Do it.

Apply directly

You can apply directly for jobs if you've got relevant skills and experience from working in a healthcare setting. Some employers may ask for a qualification in healthcare and GCSE subjects like maths, English and science.

What you’ll need

  • pass enhanced background checks

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

You would be expected to have an understanding of how the NHS values would apply in your work.

Further information

You can get more advice about working as a radiography assistant from Health Careers.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for radiography assistant. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Speech and language therapy assistant

You can get into this job through:

College

You could do a college course to get into this job. Relevant subjects include:

  • Level 2 Certificate in Health and Social Care
  • Level 2 Certificate in Healthcare Support Services
  • Level 3 Diploma in Healthcare Support

Most health and social care courses include work placements so this could be a good way to get practical experience.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 2 or more GCSEs at grades 9 to 3 (A* to D), or equivalent, for a level 2 course
  • 4 or 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, for a level 3 course

Apprenticeship

You can do a Healthcare Support Worker Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship or a Senior Healthcare Support Worker Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.

Entry requirements

There are no set entry requirements but it may help you to get in if you have:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Other ways in

Work your way up

You could start as a healthcare assistant and move into speech and language therapy assistant work, through further training and promotion.

Volunteering

Volunteering in the NHS is a good way to get work experience in healthcare. This can be helpful when you apply for jobs or training.

Apply directly

You can apply directly for jobs if you've got relevant skills and experience from working in a healthcare setting. Some employers may ask for a qualification in healthcare and GCSE subjects like maths, English and science.

What you’ll need

  • pass enhanced background checks

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

You would be expected to have an understanding of how the NHS values would apply in your work.

Further information

You can find out more about how to become a speech and language therapy assistant from Health Careers.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for speech and language therapy assistant. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Occupational therapy support worker

You can get into this job through:

College

You could do a college course, which would teach you some of the skills needed to be an occupational therapy support worker. Courses include:

  • healthcare support
  • health and social care
  • T Level in Health

Many courses include work placements and this could be a good way to get some experience.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do a Healthcare Support Worker Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship, or a Senior Healthcare Support Worker Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship.

These can take between 1 and 2 years and combine on-the-job training with classroom study.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Other ways in

Work your way up

You could start as a healthcare assistant and learn on the job. You could do further training to move into occupational therapy support work.

Volunteering

Volunteering in the NHS is a good way to get work experience in healthcare. This can be helpful when you apply for jobs or training.

You can also find opportunities through The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and Do it.

Apply directly

You can apply directly for occupational therapy support worker roles. Employers may want you to have a qualification related to health, and experience of working with people in a health or social care setting.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

You would be expected to have an understanding of how the NHS values would impact your role, if applying for work in the NHS.

Further information

You can find out more about becoming an occupational therapy support worker from Health Careers.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for occupational therapy support worker. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Maternity support worker

You can get into this job through:

College

You could do a college course that would teach you some of the skills needed to become a trainee maternity support worker.

Courses include:

  • child development and care
  • health and social care
  • T Level in Health
Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do an apprenticeship, with an NHS trust, such as:

  • Healthcare Support Worker Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship
  • Senior Healthcare Support Worker Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship

These take between 1 and 2 years to complete and combine on-the-job training with study.

The level 3 apprenticeship gives you the option to specialise in maternity support.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship
  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), or equivalent, including English and maths, for an advanced apprenticeship

Other ways in

Work your way up

You could start as a healthcare assistant and move into maternity support through on-the-job training where you work.

Volunteering

Volunteering in the NHS is a good way to get work experience in healthcare. This can be helpful when you apply for jobs or training.

Apply directly

You can apply directly for jobs if you've got relevant skills and experience from working in healthcare, or with children and their families.

What you’ll need

  • pass enhanced background checks as you may work with children and vulnerable adults
  • have a good level of fitness

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

You would be expected to have an understanding of how the NHS values would apply in your work.

Further information

You can learn more about how to become a maternity support worker through Health Careers.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for maternity support worker. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Phlebotomist

You can get into this job through:

College

There are no set entry requirements to become a trainee phlebotomist, although it may help to have a college qualification in healthcare or health and social care.

Courses in health and social care often include work placements. This would give you practical experience, which could help you to get a job afterwards.

Entry requirements

Entry requirements for these courses vary.

Apprenticeship

You could apply to do a Healthcare Science Assistant Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship, specialising in phlebotomy.

You could also do a Healthcare Support Worker Level 2 Intermediate Apprenticeship, then apply for a trainee role in phlebotomy.

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • some GCSEs, usually including English and maths, or equivalent, for an intermediate apprenticeship

Other ways in

Work your way up

You could start as a healthcare assistant and work your way up through training and promotion.

Volunteering

Volunteering in the NHS is a good way to get work experience in healthcare. This can be helpful when you apply for jobs or training.

You can also find opportunities through The National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO) and Do it.

Apply directly

You could apply directly to work as a phlebotomist. There are no set entry requirements, though it may be helpful if you have at least 2 GCSEs and a first aid certificate.

Some employers may prefer you to have a qualification in healthcare or health and social care.

What you’ll need

  • pass enhanced background checks
  • have a first aid certificate

You may need a driving licence for some jobs.

Registration and professional bodies

Career tips

You would be expected to have an understanding of how the NHS values would apply in your work.

Professional and industry bodies

You can join the National Association of Phlebotomists and Institute of Biomedical Science for networking and training opportunities.

Further information

You can find out more about how to become a phlebotomist from Health Careers.

Routes in are from the National Careers Service job profile for phlebotomist. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Apprenticeships

3 for this job
Level 4About 1 year

Mammography associate

Employers may ask for
There are no statutory or regulatory requirements but typical entry requirements would include potential role holders being caring and compassionate, honest…
Details on Skills England

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Other qualifications

QualificationTypeLevel
Health and social care foundation apprenticeshipFoundation apprenticeship2
HealthT Level3
CertHE Mammographer AssociateHigher technical4

The work

ONS · ESCO · O*NET

Typical tasks

  • performs basic clinical tasks such as taking patients’ temperature and pulse, weighing and measuring, performing urine tests and extracting blood samples
  • prepares patient for examination and treatment
  • distributes and serves food, assists patients in feeding and prepares snacks and hot drinks
  • assists patients in washing, dressing, toiletry activities and general mobility
  • changes bed linen, makes beds and tidies wards

Skills

  • accept own accountability
  • adhere to organisational guidelines
  • advise on healthcare users' informed consent
  • apply health sciences
  • apply organisational techniques
  • communicate with nursing staff
  • comply with legislation related to health care
  • comply with quality standards related to healthcare practice
  • contribute to continuity of health care
  • convey medical routine information
  • deal with emergency care situations
  • develop a collaborative therapeutic relationship
  • educate on the prevention of illness
  • empathise with the healthcare user

Knowledge

  • disability care
  • disability types

Suits people who like

  • Helping and caring for people
  • Practical, hands-on work

Outlook

DfE · Skills Imperative 2035
Broader groupThese projections are for caring personal service occupations, a group of 16 jobs that includes nursing auxiliaries and assistants.
Change in jobs, 2020 to 2035↑ 20%about 466,000 more jobs
Workers needed by 20351.9 millionincluding people replacing those who retire or leave

Sources

Pay
ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, 2025 provisional
People in the job, who does it
ONS, Annual Population Survey, April 2025 to March 2026
Job adverts
ONS, online job adverts (Textkernel), to Aug 2026
Demand, skill shortages
Department for Education and Skills England, Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey
Outlook
The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE
Routes in
National Careers Service job profiles
Apprenticeships, qualifications
Skills England occupational maps
Skills, interests
ESCO classification of the European Commission; O*NET data, U.S. Department of Labor (CC BY 4.0, modified)
Visas
Home Office, immigration system statistics

Figures as of 10 October 2026.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Occupations in demand and the Employer Skills Survey: Department for Education and Skills England. Immigration system statistics: Home Office. Contains public sector information from the National Careers Service licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

© Skills England 2025. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/

Source: The Skills Imperative 2035 (2024), NFER/Nuffield/DfE/IER/CE.

This service uses the ESCO classification of the European Commission.

This service includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. This service has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications. CC BY 4.0 licence.

jobfacts is independent. It is not part of, affiliated with or endorsed by the Office for National Statistics, the Department for Education, Skills England, the National Careers Service, the Home Office, the European Commission or the U.S. Department of Labor.