Health, Social Care, and Medical Technology Sector Insight

The health, social care and medical technology sector is significant in Essex, with 95,500 people employed.  Given population growth and factors such as ageing, the sector is likely to continue to see growth.  The sector employs large numbers in the public and private sectors.

There are distinct parts to the sector:

Public Health plays a crucial role in reducing ill-health causes, promoting well-being, and addressing inequalities in access and outcomes. It encompasses health protection (responding to infectious diseases and environmental hazards), health improvement (prevention and education), and ensuring cost-effective, accessible health services. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA, previously Public Health England) is due to move to Harlow in Essex which will be significant for the area.

Healthcare Services:

There are currently three Integrated Care Boards (ICBs): Mid and South Essex, Hertfordshire and West Essex, and Suffolk and North East Essex. Changes underway mean the Essex parts of the ICBs will work together more closely with formal mergers by April 2027. Mid and South Essex ICB will work more closely with the geographical areas of north east Essex and west Essex.  This will bring the geography more in line with local authorities and the LSIP.

Essex has a wide network of hospitals, clinics, general practices, and specialist services catering to the healthcare needs of its population. These facilities provide a wide range of medical services, including primary care, emergency care, surgery, diagnostics, and specialist treatments across various medical disciplines. The NHS is one of the biggest employers and recruiters locally.

Social Care Services: Social care services in Essex focus on supporting individuals with diverse needs, including the elderly, people with disabilities, individuals with mental health conditions, and those requiring assistance with daily living activities. This encompasses residential care homes, community-based support services, day centres, respite care, and home care services. Local authorities such as Essex County Council play a large role in social care provision with a responsibility to commission services. Skills for Care has outlined the significant size of the sector whereby in Essex the GVA for 24/25 was £1.83 billion, for Thurrock it was £192 million and for Southend £278 million.

Medical Technology and Innovation: The medical technology sector in Essex encompasses companies, research institutions, and startups involved in developing innovative healthcare solutions. This includes medical device manufacturers, digital health technology firms, telemedicine providers, health informatics specialists, and research organizations collaborating on cutting-edge medical advancements. Notable examples of companies in the sector include Europlaz in Southminster and Olympus in Southend.

The sector is a significant employer with the National Health Service (NHS) being one of the largest employers in the world. Life Sciences (which contributes to health and medical technology) has been identified in the government’s Industrial Strategy as one of the growth sectors and Skills England have also included health and social care as a priority sector. There are also clear links with manufacturing.

The government’s Sector Plan for Life Sciences sets out the importance of medical technology, noting that ‘not only are the medicines and medical technologies the sector develops transformational for health and resilience, they are also vital for growth and productivity, as the sector delivers high value jobs for the UK economy.’ It sets out the high growth the sector has experienced in recent years as well as the potential growth by £41 billion by 2035 if this continues.  The Skills England Skills Assessment for Life Sciences notes the size of the sector in terms of employment, with nearly 305,000 employed in 2021/22. The Skills Assessment sets out skills needs including those ‘associated with innovation and emerging technologies (including advanced digital and AI)’. They also highlight the areas such as specialist research, regulatory and quality assurance and transferrable skills such as leadership and management. These are cited as being ‘predominantly advanced skills requiring a mix of technical training and transferable skills.’

The sector employs a high percentage of people with degree level qualifications. However, employers have highlighted a lack of work readiness. Apprenticeships are also important, with options such as laboratory technician.  Skills England note the high proportion of SMEs in Life Sciences which can struggle to invest in skills and training. Bolt on, modular and stackable training options are seen as potential ways to address the need for quickly changing skills. Employers in the sector have also fed back that short, intensive courses in areas such AI could be helpful.

With regard to health and social care, the Skills England skills assessment notes that these are ‘linked, but separate sectors, working together to support people to live independent, healthier lives.’ The government is recognising the interdependence of health and social care and is seeking further integration with plans such as neighbourhood health services.  The assessment also notes the inextricable link between the NHS and life sciences sector. It is outlined that the NHS employs approximately 1.5 million people in England and with approximately half of these being professionally qualified clinical staff who have degree level training.  Outside the NHS there are areas such as dental care and opticians. Social care is estimated to employ 1.6 million people (2023/24) with the majority of these (76%) in direct care occupations. Both health and care have large numbers of hard to fill vacancies and bodies such as Skills for Care have highlighted the need to recruit and attract people into the sector particularly with the ageing and growing population. Women represent over 70% of both health and social care workforces.

In terms of training, many clinical occupations require degree level qualifications and with apprenticeships increasingly being supported as well as routes such as T levels and internships.  In social care Skills England notes that ‘just under half of the direct care (unregulated) workforce held a relevant social care qualification.’ Roles such as nurses in care homes require qualifications. Employers fed back that whilst good for increasing the pipeline of new entrants, the length and complexity of apprenticeships can be prohibitive. Therefore, shorter and flexible training routes are seen as positive.

The sector in Essex is likely to continue to see growth given the growing and ageing population. It will therefore continue to be a large employer, with high levels of recruitment across a range of roles and training requirements.  be a large employer and driver of growth locally.  Developments such as UKHSA’s move to Essex will have a big impact as well as developments such as the new boundaries for ICBs and introduction of Neighbourhood Health Centres.

Work already undertaken through the LSIP has helped to ensure educators are responding to the current and future needs of the economy.  Essex also has strong networks and collaboration already underway through bodies such as the Essex Care Association and research undertaken by bodies such as Skills for Care.  Additionally, initiatives such as the Halo project for mid Essex (a pre-employment programme) is supporting people into health and care.

As this insight has set out, the sector has a range of training needs at different levels and a need to attract new entrants. Alongside degrees and apprenticeships, employers have cited the need for modular and flexible options particularly in social care where lengthy training can be a barrier.

Locally, there are a range of courses on offer through further and higher education and training providers to support the sector. Examples include the Medical school at ARU and the Centre for Health and Social Care professionals at Colchester Institute.  Further links are provided in the skills supply and providers section.

As well as skills specific to health, social care and med tech, such as teaching, classroom management, lesson planning and autism support, there are transferrable and essential skills highlighted by employers and sector bodies. Skills for Care have highlighted the importance of leadership and management to the sector in their State of the Care Sector report and NHS England outline the importance of skills such as communication, listening, problem solving and managing challenging situations.

Top ten specialist and essential skills advertised in Essex vacancies over the past year (to Summer 2025) helps to illustrate what employers in the health, social care and med tech sector locally are looking for. You can view further information and detail via this link.

Specialist Skills advertised                                               Essential Skills advertised

·  Personal Care                                                                     ·  Communication

·  Mental Health                                                                     ·  Management

·  Nursing                                                                                 ·  Leadership

·  Auditing                                                                               ·  Interpersonal Communication

·  Surgery                                                                                ·  Empathy

·  Medication Administration                                             ·  Compassion

·  Risk Analysis                                                                       ·  Teaching

·  Social Work                                                                        ·  Teamwork

·  Psychology                                                                         ·  Customer Service

·  Primary Care                                                                      ·  English Language