Healthcare Support Assistants in Ireland: QQI Level 5 and Employer Training

If you employ healthcare support assistants in Ireland, the short answer on qualifications is this: the HSE's own recruitment criteria for the Health Care Assistant grade centre on a QQI Level 5 health skills qualification, with defined alternatives for people who are still completing it. Holding that award is the starting point, not the end of your training duties. This guide sets out what the HSE's pages say about the qualification, how QQI describes Level 5, and what the designated centre regulations say about training once someone is on your team, whether you are an employer in Dublin or anywhere else in Ireland. For the wider picture of what staff need once employed, see our complete guide to mandatory training for healthcare staff in Ireland.

This is a workforce and training guide only. It gives no clinical or care advice.

What QQI Level 5 means

QQI's "Brief Guide to the Irish National Framework of Qualifications" (version 1.0, August 2024) explains that the framework has ten levels, from Level 1 to Level 10. It lists a major award at Level 5 worth 120 further education and training (FET) credits. The guide says one FET credit equals ten hours, so 120 credits represent about 1,200 notional hours, roughly a full-time academic year of study.

The same guide describes the main award types. A major award is the main class of award at each level. A minor award is linked to a major award but is also an achievement in its own right. Special purpose and supplemental awards cover narrower or additional learning. This matters for employers because the HSE criteria below distinguish between a full major award and a component certificate.

What the HSE says about the Health Care Assistant grade

The HSE publishes eligibility criteria for the Health Care Assistant grade (grade code 6075). The document we read is dated 16 April 2025. It sets out four routes for candidates:

• Hold a relevant health skills qualification at QQI Level 5 or higher. The examples given include Healthcare Support, Nursing Studies, Community Care, Health Service Skills and Community Health Services.
• Hold a relevant healthcare qualification at Level 5 or higher that includes applied patient care modules or placements, such as Social Care Work, Nursing or Therapy Professions.
• Be currently enrolled in a relevant health skills Level 5 qualification and commit to completing it within two years of taking up the post.
• Have worked for at least two years as a Healthcare Assistant, Care Assistant, Attendant, Multi-Task Attendant or comparable role, and commit to acquiring an appropriate health skills Level 5 qualification within two years of taking up the post.

The document adds that a full QQI or FETAC Level 5 major award requires a minimum of 120 credits and eight modules, and that a component certificate "will not suffice". If the qualification does not include an activities of daily living minor award, that award must be completed within a timeframe the service sets after the person starts. Candidates must meet the criteria on the competition's closing date, and the document also refers to knowledge and ability, health and good character. It has a "Statutory Registration" heading but lists no specific registration requirement.

These are the HSE's recruitment criteria for its own grade. We did not find a page stating that the same qualification is a legal requirement for every care worker in every service, so private and voluntary employers should set and document their own entry standard.

How the HSE describes the role and the qualification

An HSE staff news item published on 21 May 2025 describes Health Care Assistants as supporting registered nurses and midwives in the delivery of safe and effective healthcare. It says they work mainly in acute hospitals, mental health services and older persons services, and also in the community and in people's homes. It says HCAs are expected to hold a Level 5 QQI qualification, described as a major award, and to complete modules relevant to their area of specialty. It also describes career pathways, including moving into specialty areas or working alongside health and social care professionals.

The HSE's SKILL programme page describes a QQI Level 5 programme for support staff leading to a Health Service SKILL award, and says applications were open for healthcare support assistants. The page lists aims such as updating knowledge and skills and supporting career progression. It does not list detailed eligibility rules and it shows no last-updated date, so check it directly before relying on it.

Training duties that sit on top of the qualification

A qualification certificate does not replace the training an employer must make available in a regulated service. We read the as-made text of two sets of regulations on irishstatutebook.ie:

• Older people's services: S.I. No. 415/2013 (Care and Welfare of Residents in Designated Centres for Older People). Regulation 15 requires the number and skill mix of staff to be appropriate to the residents' needs and the size and layout of the centre. Regulation 16 requires the person in charge to ensure that staff have access to appropriate training and are appropriately supervised, and that staff are informed of the Act and regulations.
• Disability services: S.I. No. 367/2013 (Care and Support of Residents in Designated Centres for Persons (Children and Adults) with Disabilities). Regulation 16 refers to access to appropriate training, "including refresher training", as part of a continuous professional development programme, along with supervision. Regulation 7 separately requires training in the management of behaviour that is challenging, including de-escalation and intervention techniques.

We read the regulations as made. The Department of Health has published informal consolidations for older people's centres (page updated 16 April 2025, and the page itself disclaims responsibility for accuracy), so check the current consolidated text and any amendments. For the safeguarding part of a support assistant's training, see our guide to safeguarding vulnerable adults training in Ireland.

A practical approach for employers

The following are our suggestions, not legal requirements.

• Check the certificate, not just the title. Ask for evidence that the award is a major award and not a component certificate, and note whether an activities of daily living minor award is included.
• Record the route. If someone starts under a "complete within two years" arrangement, as in the HSE's third and fourth routes, record the start date, the expected completion date and who checks progress.
• Keep a training matrix per role. List induction, the mandatory topics your service requires, role-specific topics and refresher dates in one place, and keep the evidence with it.
• Plan supervision as well as courses. Both sets of regulations we read mention supervision alongside training.
• Link training to CPD planning. Our healthcare compliance and CPD guide is a starting point for building a plan beyond the entry qualification.

What we could not confirm

We did not review the individual modules inside any provider's QQI Level 5 programme, and we have not described any training provider's courses. We also did not review HIQA's national standards text for staffing and training, so check HIQA's current standards for your type of service.

Learnsignal's offices are off Baggot Street in Dublin, and we offer in-person training from there. For current details, see our CPD pages.

Frequently asked questions

Is QQI Level 5 legally required to work as a healthcare support assistant in Ireland?

The pages we read show it as the HSE's recruitment criterion for the Health Care Assistant grade, with alternatives for people completing it. We did not find a page stating it is a legal requirement for all care workers, so private and voluntary employers should check their own standards and their regulator's expectations.

Can someone start before they finish the qualification?

The HSE's eligibility document allows candidates who are enrolled in a relevant Level 5 qualification, or who have at least two years in a comparable role, to commit to completing the qualification within two years of taking up the post.

Does a component certificate meet the HSE criteria?

According to the HSE document dated 16 April 2025, a component certificate "will not suffice" and a full major award is needed.

Does the HSE criteria document list a registration requirement?

It has a "Statutory Registration" heading but lists no specific requirement under it.

Where should I look for current rules?

Check the HSE's recruitment pages, the QQI website, HIQA's pages for your service type and the current text of the regulations. Requirements and programmes change.

In short, treat the qualification as the entry point and build your training records around the duties that continue after someone starts.