CV for Healthcare Assistant in the UK 2026 — Guide

The right CV format for an HCA job in the UK

UK employers expect a simple, reverse-chronological CV. Your most recent job comes first. Keep it to two pages at most. One page is fine if you are starting out.

• No photo, no date of birth, no marital status. They are not needed and are not standard on UK CVs.
• Clear headings: Personal statement, Employment history, Training and qualifications, Skills, References.
• Plain layout. One column, a standard font, no tables or graphics holding key information.
• Contact details: name, phone, email, town or city. A full home address is not necessary.
• Right to work in the UK: add one short line if it helps, for example your visa status, if the employer will need to check it.

Write a personal statement that sounds like a carer

Three or four lines at the top. Say who you are, what experience you have, and what kind of role you want. Do not write a list of adjectives.

Example: Reliable healthcare assistant with 3 years' experience on a medical ward, supporting patients with personal care, mobility and nutrition. Calm under pressure, clear communicator with patients and families. Looking for an HCA role in an acute hospital setting.

If you have no paid care experience, say what you do have: caring for a family member, volunteering, work in customer service or a school. Be honest about it and link it to patient care.

What employers look for in an HCA

Healthcare employers hire for skills and for values. Many NHS employers use values-based recruitment, so your CV should show how you treat people, not only what tasks you can do.

• Dignity, respect and compassion when giving personal care.
• Communication with patients, families and the nurses you work under.
• Reliability on shifts, including nights, weekends and bank or agency work.
• Teamwork and knowing when to escalate to a registered nurse.
• Safe practice: infection control, safeguarding, moving and handling.
• Willingness to learn, especially if you are applying for your first HCA role.

Skills and training to list

Put skills where they can be proved. A skills section is useful, but employers trust skills that also appear in your job bullets.

Core HCA skills

• Personal care: washing, dressing, toileting, oral hygiene
• Assisting with eating and drinking, and recording fluid and food intake
• Moving and handling, and helping patients to mobilise
• Taking and recording vital signs: blood pressure, pulse, temperature, respiration rate, oxygen saturations
• Bed making, pressure area care, and repositioning
• Reporting changes in a patient's condition to the nurse in charge
• Patient records and handovers, written and verbal
• Caring for people with dementia or confusion, if you have done so

Training and qualifications

List the training you have actually completed, with the year. Typical items include:

• The Care Certificate, if you have completed it
• A Level 2 or Level 3 qualification in health and social care or clinical healthcare support, if you hold one
• Mandatory training such as basic life support, infection prevention and control, safeguarding adults, moving and handling, and fire safety
• Extra clinical skills such as phlebotomy, ECGs or catheter care, only if you were trained and signed off to do them
• Any English-language qualification, if English is not your first language and the employer may ask

Do not claim a DBS check on your CV unless you really hold one you can show. Most healthcare employers arrange the check themselves after a job offer, so a line saying you are "willing to undergo an enhanced DBS check" is enough. Note that Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own disclosure schemes.

Before and after: one bullet

Weak bullets list duties. Strong bullets show what you did, for whom, and the result. Replace the brackets with your own real details.

• Before: Helped patients on the ward with daily tasks.
• After: Supported [number] patients per shift on a [type of] ward with washing, dressing, feeding and mobilising, recording observations accurately and reporting any changes to the nurse in charge.

The second version shows the setting, the tasks, the responsibility and the safe practice. Use the same pattern for each role: setting, tasks, how you worked with the team.

Common mistakes on HCA CVs

• Listing duties only. "Responsible for patient care" says very little. Show tasks and setting.
• Ignoring the job advert. Copy the key words from the person specification where they are true for you.
• Unexplained gaps. One short line is enough: career break, caring for family, travel, study.
• Overselling clinical skills. Do not list tasks you were never trained or signed off to do. It is a safety issue.
• Two-page CVs full of unrelated jobs. Keep older, unrelated roles to one line each.
• Spelling and tense errors. Use British spelling, such as "organised" and "programme". Use past tense for old jobs and present tense for your current one.
• Generic references. Name your referees, or write "Available on request". Make sure one of them can speak to your work or character.

Final checklist before you apply

1. Is the CV two pages or fewer, with no photo and no date of birth?
2. Does the personal statement mention your setting, experience and the role you want?
3. Does each job show tasks, setting and teamwork, not just a title?
4. Are your training and certificates listed with real dates?
5. Have you matched the advert's key requirements honestly?
6. Have you checked spelling, dates and contact details?
7. Do you have two referees ready, including your most recent employer if possible?

A clear, honest CV that shows safe, kind care will serve you better than a long one full of buzzwords. If you would rather have a UK-format draft to edit, MeuCV can prepare one for you to review before you pay.