If you want to help other people and contribute to their health and well-being, then working in the health and social care sectors could be your right career choice. Top of the list of those regarded as “essential workers” during the Pandemic, workers can expect public plaudits, but also often good renumeration and job security.

Whether you’re a nurse looking after patients on the wards, a surgeon carrying out life-saving operations, admin staff who ensure all of the paperwork is complete, or cleaners who are keeping care homes spick and span, you could be part of an amazing team that makes a huge difference to peoples’ lives every single day.

The industry offers a wide variety of career routes for candidates from different backgrounds and with different qualifications. A career in healthcare may also lead to a mix of further study with excellent on-the-job training and support for employees, allowing candidates to work towards obtaining specialist professional qualifications and unique skills to extend their careers.

The COVID-19 Pandemic has brought the whole sector to public attention, leading to a reassessment of the importance of previously sometimes overlooked roles, frequently leading to extra funding being allocated. It is also now increasingly recognised that it is vital to create closer ties and synergies between health and social care. The NHS alone employs 1.4 million staff, while the care sector currently employs 1.6 million people. Social care provides a range of services where the health sector leaves off, offering physical and emotional support to vulnerable and older people. Helping people in their own homes or in residential care homes. With an ageing UK population, the sector needs an extra 50,000 staff to fill vacancies over the next ten years.