Healthcare and AHP Support Workers

Welcome to our Trust

We are delighted that you have chosen to work with us as a Health Care Support Worker/ AHP support worker and we welcome you to STSFT.

The term healthcare support worker (HCSW) is an umbrella term which covers a variety of health and care support roles, including healthcare assistant (HCA), theatre support worker, maternity support worker and more. AHP support workers include the roles of Dietetic support workers/assistants, Occupational Therapy assistants, Physiotherapy assistants, Podiatry foot screeners and assistants, Radiography support workers/assistants and Speech and Language Therapy assistants.

Health care support workers and AHP support workers play a vital role in providing excellent care to patients throughout the organisation. They work in our hospitals in people’s own homes or in the community; roles can vary depending on the environment in which they work. They can work with many different patient groups, of all ages, including those receiving acute care, people with learning disabilities, physical disabilities or mental health conditions, and in maternity services.

These roles can also lead to a range of career opportunities. With the right support, those who exemplify the skills and core values essential to delivering high-quality, compassionate care could, and can, go on to become our future nurses, midwives and therapists, such as Dietitians, Occupational Therapists, Physiotherapists, Podiatrists, Diagnostic Radiographers and Speech and Language Therapists.

This resource will provide useful information to help you settle in and familiarise yourself with the organisation: