Looking back 2020

24 December, 2020

This year has been like no other, but despite all the challenges we have faced there have also been many things worth celebrating and we have seen incredible work being done throughout the year.

Back in February the HASO team involving people from Skills for Health and Health Education England were delighted to receive a high commendation for the Best Not for Profit Working in Partnership with the NHS at this year’s HSJ Partnership Awards. We received recognition for the ambition, visionary spirit and the demonstrable positive impact that the website has had on patient and staff experiences within the health and/or social care sector. See announcement in full here.

Following on from the successful commendation and the unprecedented times we have been in we have worked hard to be as creative and responsive as ever. We launched the Covid-19 hub with a range of online resources aimed at supporting apprentices and employers navigate the changes to apprenticeships during this time. There have been numerous case studies published showcasing the hard work of apprentices throughout the pandemic as well as case studies exploring innovative ways of delivering apprenticeships.

The team of facilitators at Skills for Health have also been busy coming up with creative ways to carry on the trailblazer work virtually. Following the successful development of 15 apprenticeship standards last year, we started 2020 with 13 apprenticeship standards in development of which 5 have been approved for delivery so far. Some of the published apprenticeships have also been subject to revisions during the year.

Standards approved for delivery in 2020

This year also marks the 5th anniversary of when the development of the Healthcare Support Worker, Senior Healthcare Support Worker and Assistant Practitioner (Health) apprenticeship standards began. We have put together a printable showcasing the number of apprentices who have successfully started these since they were approved for delivery. Click here to see more.

Lastly, we successfully launched our ‘Meet the apprentice’ series inspired by the Our Health Hero Awards 2019. These case studies feature incredible, hard-working and inspirational apprentices from across the country doing a range of apprenticeships. Click here to see all 20.

Thank you to everyone involved in all the projects for your continued hard work and support.