NHS, medical research and social care
This sector is about looking after people. Their are hundreds of different types of jobs in this sector from researching new vaccines, treating health conditions, and supporting people with day-to-day living needs due to disability, illness or difficult life situations. The sector covers NHS and private hospitals, research laboratories, 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.
This sector is growing quickly and there are many hundreds of job vacancies. This sector could be perfect for you if you enjoy helping people every day, like mental health counselling or care work, or working on projects that will eventually help people, like developing new medicines.
Key employers in Greater Manchester: * BUPA * NHS * Priory * The Christie * Care UK
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?
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.
Huge digital development of the NHS and in health research and innovation means more digital jobs will appear in this sector.
There continues to be a high demand for nurses, care home staff, personal assistants and social workers.
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.
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