Completed Programmes
Healthcare Pathway Pilot
NHS Scotland Academy, Skills Development Scotland (SDS) and health boards across NHS Scotland piloted a new pathway which provided high school students in S4, S5 and S6 with the opportunity to gain a formal qualification.
Once the qualification was completed, students received a Level 5 qualification worth 24 Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) credit points.
This allowed them to progress into a range of opportunities, including Healthcare Support Worker roles, modern apprenticeships and the explore further routes into the health and care workforce.
What is the Healthcare Pathway Pilot?
The Healthcare Pathway Pilot qualification developed the transferable skills of young people to allow them to progress into a career as a Healthcare Support Worker and a key part of the wider health and social care workforce.
Through a range of face-to-face and online learning, learners developed their transferable meta-skills, such as communication and problem solving, into skills that are beneficial and directly applicable to a career in health and social care.
The qualification included 3 challenge projects;
- Spaces and Places: Exploring the relationship between the physical environment (e.g. hospital or care home) and how people are cared for.
- Community and Wellbeing: Learning about how health and care supports the wider community.
- Creativity: Look at the creative solutions to a health/care challenges and understand the importance of creativity skills in the workforce.
What is a Healthcare Support Worker?
Healthcare Support Workers are an essential part of any multidisciplinary team, providing support to nurses, therapists, midwives, and other Health and Care professionals to deliver high quality person-centred care.
Those in S4, S5 and S6 located in selected schools across NHS Highland, NHS Dumfries and Galloway, NHS Tayside, NHS Grampian and the Clydebank area took part in the pilot. This included:
- Highland: Culloden High, Golspie High, Wick High, Farr High
- Tayside: Bertha Park School
- Clydebank: St Peter The Apostle High, Clydebank High
You can also find out more about NHS Careers at www.careers.nhs.scot and by following @NHSScotCareers on Twitter.
Cultural Humility Resource
What is the Cultural Humility Resource?
The Cultural Humility digital resource was developed to support NHS Boards and social care providers in fostering inclusive, person-centred practice across Scotland's health and care workforce.
Launched in partnership with NHS Education for Scotland’s Equality, Diversity and Human Rights (EDHR) Team and organisations across health, social care, and the third sector, the resource introduces the principles of cultural humility and psychological safety. It encourages reflection, promotes respectful collaboration, and supports the delivery of safe, inclusive care in diverse teams and communities.
What does the resource include?
- A digital course featuring videos, real-life scenarios and interactive reflective activities
- A downloadable resource pack
- Practical tools to build awareness of cultural difference and lived experience
- Guidance on how to engage in respectful, inclusive conversations with patients and colleagues
- A focus on applying reflective practice to improve workplace behaviours
The resource also supports the transition of internationally educated nurses into health and social care roles across Scotland.
What are the aims?
- Understand the principles of cultural humility
- Identify behaviours that support an inclusive and psychologically safe workplace
- Reflect on personal attitudes and approaches
- Apply learning to practice across health and social care settings
What impact has it had?
Since its launch, over 3,750 learners from all NHS Scotland Boards and wide range of sectors - including higher and further education, local authorities, and third sector organisations – have accessed the resource.
83.3% of learners rated the module 4 or above on a 5-point scale, reflecting high levels of satisfaction and engagement.
It has exceeded expectations in terms of reach and engagement, significantly increasing understanding and application of inclusive practices.
Learner feedback includes:
“Excellent learning resource.”
“Eye-opening – teamwork means everything.”
“This should be mandatory. Great training and really makes you recognise the need for ongoing reflection.”
“The videos of lived experiences were extremely powerful and really got me reflecting.”
“I now feel more confident supporting others through culturally respectful practice.”
“I now fully understand how to recognise and respond to microaggressions.”
Programme timeline
- Start date: 28 November 2023
- End date: 7 August 2025
- Annual review: Completed in November 2024
- Enhancements: Digital improvements and content optimisation carried out in June 2025
Following project close, operational responsibility was handed over to the EDHR Team at NHS Education for Scotland, and the resource remains available for use.
All intellectual property is attributed to NHS Scotland Academy and parent Boards.
Who was involved?
This programme was delivered in collaboration with:
- NHS Education for Scotland (EDHR Team)
- NHS Golden Jubilee International Recruitment Team
- Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC)
- Scottish Care
- Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO)
- NHS Grampian International Recruitment Team
- NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde Asylum Health Bridging Team
- Scottish Refugee Council
- University of Essex
- Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust
- Coalition for Racial Equality and Rights (CRER)
- Equality and Diversity leads across all territorial Health Boards
- Scottish Centre for Simulation and Clinical Human Factors (SCSCHF)
Preparing for Work in Health and Social Care
The Preparing for Work in Health and Social Care programme, previously delivered through the NHS Scotland Academy, will now be hosted by NHS Education for Scotland.
During the time it was available through the NHS Scotland Academy, the programme made a meaningful contribution to supporting people who were preparing to start careers in health and social care. It provided accessible online learning designed to help new applicants build confidence, understand the basics of support‑worker roles, and get ready for employer induction.
In total, 20,997 learners accessed the programme, from 19 Scottish Health Boards.
What the resources offer
This collection of resources provides information about some core areas of practice for those in the role of support worker in health or social care. They support those who have little or no previous experience working in a care support role at pre-induction stage.
The online platform complements learning from core employer induction materials which include those delivered in-house and on TURAS Learn or other digital learning platforms. For those working in social care, the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) Learning Zone is the main learning platform of use. This collection of resources is also useful as a reference for more experienced support workers.
Flexible, digital learning
All modules are available online and can be accessed at any time, from any device. The programme included short videos, interactive activities, and quizzes to help learners check their understanding. Content was grouped into 2 main areas:
- Healthcare resources, curated by the NHS Scotland Academy
- Social care resources, developed by the Scottish Social Services Council
This means learners can choose what was most relevant to their goals. Some modules apply to both sectors, while others, such as clinical observations, are more specific to health care roles. Modules do not need to be completed in order, allowing learners to build knowledge at their own pace.
The online resources can still be accessed via Turas Learn Click this link to view the resource
For more information contact nhsscotlandacademy@nhs.scot