What is the salary for NHS healthcare assistant Band 6 roles?

NHS Band 6 roles pay between £39,959 and £48,117 per year under the 2026/27 pay scale, plus additional payments for unsocial hours and high-cost area supplements.

What is the difference between Band 5 and Band 6?

Band 6 practitioners have more experience, specialist skills, and often supervisory responsibilities. They manage more complex caseloads, may lead small teams, and contribute to service development.

What qualifications do I need to become an NHS healthcare support worker?

Many trusts accept candidates without formal qualifications and provide the Care Certificate on the job. GCSEs in English and maths, any patient-facing experience, and evidence of caring values will strengthen an application.

Are healthcare assistant jobs the same as healthcare support worker jobs?

Many NHS adverts use healthcare assistant, HCA, clinical support worker, and healthcare support worker for closely related patient-care roles. The exact duties and band depend on the employer and service.

Band 6 Healthcare Assistant Jobs in the NHS

24 live vacancies at this grade · 21 NHS employers · salary £39,959 - £48,117

Open Positions

£37k - £53k

Salary Range

NHS Trusts

New This Week

What to expect from Band 6 Healthcare Assistant roles

Band 6 posts are for experienced practitioners who have built specialist skills or taken on supervisory responsibilities. Typical roles include senior staff nurses, specialist therapists, team deputies, and clinical pharmacists. Expect to show evidence of autonomous judgement and leadership in your application. For healthcare assistant candidates, this usually means matching the advertised responsibilities to your evidence before applying: the same band can cover different service settings, rota patterns, and levels of supervision across NHS employers.

Job Clerk is currently tracking 24 live band 6 healthcare assistant vacancies across 21 NHS employers. Use this page to compare the broad market, then narrow into a city page when you need local salary expectations, employers, and closing-date pressure.

Recent salary data for band 6 healthcare assistant roles ranges from about £37,338 to £52,679 per year, depending on employer, setting, rota pattern, and high-cost area supplements.

Band expectations

Professional registration and minimum 2 years post-qualification experience
Specialist competencies relevant to the advertised post
Evidence of supervising junior staff or students
Contribution to audit, service improvement, or quality work

Role evidence to prepare

Recording and escalating vital signs observations (NEWS2, PEWS)
Phlebotomy, ECGs, or wound care (where trained and competent)
Supporting patients with nutrition, hydration, and mealtime assistance
Infection prevention: hand hygiene, PPE, equipment decontamination

Typical requirements

Care Certificate (completed within first 12 weeks of starting)
NVQ/QCF Level 2-3 in Health and Social Care (desirable)
Previous care, support, or patient-facing experience (desirable)
Manual handling certification (usually provided on induction)

Hiring locations

Current band 6 healthcare assistant demand is visible in Exeter, Gillingham, Birmingham, Bridgend, and Broadstairs. Location pages help you compare local trusts, travel expectations, and live job counts before applying.

Employer mix

Recent listings include employers such as Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust, Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust, Devon Partnership NHS Trust, and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust. Review each advert for the person specification, application method, and whether the post closes early after enough applications.

Band 6 Healthcare Assistant Jobs by City

Browse band 6 healthcare assistant jobs in the UK's biggest NHS hubs.

Band 6 Healthcare Assistant in London

Where Band 6 Healthcare Assistant Roles Are Hiring

Exeter, South West2 jobs

Gillingham, South East2 jobs

Birmingham, West Midlands1 jobs

Bridgend, Alba / Scotland1 jobs

Broadstairs, South East1 jobs

Canterbury, South East1 jobs

Carlisle, North West1 jobs

Crewe, North West1 jobs

DAWLISH, Devon1 jobs

Exeter, Devon1 jobs

GATESHEAD, North East1 jobs

Hertford, Eastern1 jobs

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