Health and social care sector

Latest Dorset health and social care sector insights.

Health and Social Care Sector Dashboard

The coronavirus pandemic brought into focus just how much we rely on both the clinical and non-clinical workers in the healthcare sector. Across the UK, 3.4 million people work in the sector and with 1.4 million staff, NHS is the largest employer in Europe and the world's biggest employer of highly skilled professionals.

Explore the interactive dashboard below to reveal salary, automation and education trends in healthcare locally. Download a copy of the Health and Social Care Sector Dashboard.

Click on the arrow at the right-hand corner to view the dashboard in full and scroll through the pages.

Sector Overview 

In Dorset, the healthcare sector demand has grown exponentially over the past years and is predicted to expand further in the future, offering a great variety of career opportunities.

The sector employs 49,000 people (15% of the workforce) contributing £1.9 billion (11%) to the overall Dorset economy and has grown 54% in economic outputs over the past decade.

And the social value it contributes is immeasurable i.e. what is the economic output of a nurse?

Career Prospects

Dorset’s demographic profile, with its more aged population, means a higher proportion of local people are working in health and social care and this is set to create a variety of interesting and rewarding opportunities within the sector.

Check the dashboard for latest occupations and skills in demand, explore Health & Science Jobs and Healthcare Skills Courses.

Key Employers

There are around 1,290 organisations engaged in health and social care in Dorset (UK Business Counts, 2021). Employers range from 885 micro private sector businesses to 15 large private and public sector organisations employing more than 250+ people each. Check the dashboard for employers currently hiring in the sector.

The NHS is the largest employer and recruiter as are many social care providers such as Colten Care and Agincare  as well as established healthcare insurer Vitality and private healthcare provider Nuffield Health.

Learning Opportunities

In 2020/21 there were around 1,850 people in Dorset started an apprenticeship in health, public services and care, with 615 apprenticeships completed during that year. Browse apprenticeship opportunities or start a course near you:

Updated July 2022