Open Awards wins major NHS assessment contract

Liverpool qualification awarding body Open Awards has signed a new contract to deliver assessments on behalf of the NHS in England.

NHS England has awarded a contract to Open Awards to provide Functional Skills assessments for health and social care staff where the employer is delivering an NHS-commissioned service. 

Functional Skills assessments ensure that healthcare workers meet standards of literacy, numeracy and digital competence to allow them to fulfil their role and progress within their career.

Open Awards Chief Executive Heather Akehurst OBE said:

“We are delighted that NHS England has once more entrusted us with ensuring that healthcare workers have the skills they need to deliver compassionate and safe care to their patients.

“Providing excellent care is about more than having clinical skills. Communication skills help to put patients at ease, numeracy is essential to patient safety, and computer literacy supports efficient working and continuity of care.

“Functional skills play a huge but often unrecognised role in healthcare, and we are proud to be able to support the NHS and healthcare workers through the delivery of these assessments.”

Assessments will be open to employees – including apprentices – who have completed a programme of learning and are ready to demonstrate their knowledge to complete their qualification.

The scheme is fully funded by NHS England, meaning there are no direct costs to employers or employees.

Heather Akehurst said:

“The funding behind this scheme makes it a win-win for employers, who can upskill their staff and improve the experience offered to patients without incurring additional costs.

“We would urge healthcare providers to contact us to find out more about how to access the assessment scheme.”

The new contract allows Open Awards to provide the assessments until March 2027.

NHS England Senior Apprenticeships Development Manager Kirsty Marsh-Hyde said:

“Nationally, we have been working with Open Awards for over three years, enabling NHS employees to attain functional skills qualifications to progress their careers in health and social care. We have always been highly impressed with the dedication and delivery of the team and receive consistently high feedback from NHS trusts and employers on the difference this offer makes to learners.”