Health and Social Care

The health and social care sector is about treating health and medical conditions, and helping people with day-to-day living needs due to disability or illness. The sector covers NHS and private hospitals and medical centres, as well as care homes, nursing homes and day care. It also includes the pharmaceutical and bio-technology industries which make and develop drugs and treatments.

Did you know:

The Christie hospital in Manchester is the largest single site cancer treatment and research centre in Europe?

Hip replacement surgery, bionic eye implants and IVF fertility treatment were all pioneered in Manchester?

70% of the UK’s clinical lab scientists are trained in Manchester?

Key employers in Greater Manchester: * BUPA * NHS * Priory * The Christie * Care UK

Example jobs available in this sector

Job Description

Anatomical pathology technicians help examine bodies after death to work out why people died. They make sure instruments are clean and ready for use, take samples, make sure bodies are properly stored and keep records.

Salary Range

£18,813 - £23,761.

Working environment

Mortuary.

Hours

39-41 a week, including evenings, weekends and bank holidays at short notice.

Opportunities

You could go on to train other health professionals and move into more advanced technical work or management.

Job Description

Social workers help protect vulnerable children and adults from harm or abuse, and support people to live independently.

Salary Range

£24,000 - £40,000.

Working environment

Varies – office, NHS or private hospital, adult care home, children's care home or in the community.

Hours

37-40 hours a week minimum, often with evenings, weekends and bank holidays on a rota.

Opportunities

You could become a trainer or mentor, move into management or go into education and research.

Job Description

General practitioners (GPs) are doctors who provide medical services to people in their local community. They prescribe medicines, give advice about treatments and perform minor surgery.

Salary Range

£37,191 - £87,003.

Working environment

GP practice, health centre or patient's home.

Hours

45-50 a week, including evenings, weekends and bank holidays.

Opportunities

You could move into medical work in hospitals or drugs companies, or specialise in an industry such as sport, business or the military. Other options include going into teaching or research, or leading a practice.

Job Description

Ambulance dispatchers decide how to handle calls made to 999. They might send out an ambulance or in extreme cases talk a caller through an emergency situation until help arrives.

Salary Range

£18,000 - £21,000.

Working environment

Contact centre.

Hours

37.5 a week in shifts. Shifts cover 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, all year.

Opportunities

With experience, you could become a team leader or control room superintendent.

Job Description

District nurses care for people outside of hospital in patients' homes, GP surgeries and residential care homes. They check the patient's temperature, blood pressure and breathing. They give injections, clean and bandage wounds. They also give emotional support and practical advice to patients and their families.

Salary Range

£31,000 - £44,000.

Working environment

Patients home and doctors' surgery.

Hours

38-40 a week, including evenings, weekends and bank holidays.

Opportunities

With experience you could lead a team of nurses or become a community matron.

Future jobs

With Greater Manchester at the cutting edge of much health technology and research, more and more science related jobs will become available.

We have a much better understanding of mental and physical health and how to stay healthy as we get older. The health and social care sector is growing and changing quickly and every area in Greater Manchester will need many more people to train for health and social care jobs.