Code of Conduct for Healthcare

Code of conduct for healthcare support workers – developed by skills for care, these guides provide insights into behaviours and conduct of health care and support workers. It helps care workers with their professional development and sets the standard of what is expected in adult social care.

The Code of conduct is there to set the standard that is expected for all health and social care workers, healthcare workers and other adults professionals should have when working in England, it outlines the behaviours and attitudes that people who need care and support should rightly expect.

The Code sits alongside the Care Certificate and is important for you to be aware of if you work in the sector. The Code of Conduct also describes how a support worker should behave and the Care Certificate describes the minimum things they must know and be able to do.

You can download it immediately below, which we would highly recommend:

There is also an accompanying resource designed to help employers understand how to implement it within their setting. A downloadable copy is below at no cost:

The Code of Conduct was funded by the Department of Health and whilst not compulsory is a good way to evidence best practice. It covers:

• How to be sure workers are meeting the standards of care you expect
• How to ensure workers always act, behave and demonstrate the positive behaviours required to work in care and that they are correctly fulfilling their role
• It can be used as a tool to helpp with personal development.

As a Healthcare Support Worker or Adult Social Care Worker in England, you must be honest with yourself about your competence and share with others about what you can do, you must also recognise your abilities and the limitations of your competence – this is not a weakness but you must only carry out or delegate those tasks agreed in your job description and for which you are competent. The Health & Care professions council sets the Standards of conduct, performance and ethics which are important for you to understand and practice. They cover 10 standards of care and ethics:

1. Promote and protect the interests of service users and carers.
2. Communicate appropriate and effectivley
3. Work within the agreed limits of your knowlegde and skills
4. Delegate appropriately
5. Respect confidentiality
6. Manage Risk
7. Report concerns of safety
8. Be open when things go wrong
9. Be honest and truthful
10. Keep records of your work.

If you are looking at continuing professional development, you should put into practice the code in your work. We have a number of other courses that can also help you which you can find here. Whilst the code set the standard of how you should work, you should not forget working in Health and Social care is a journey of learning and development. If you have not worked in Health and Social Care before – your starting point should be the Care Certificate.