Lead Practitioner in Adult Care (Level 4)
The Lead Practitioner in Adult Care will guide and inspire team members or colleagues to make positive differences to someone’s life when they are faced with physical, practical, social, emotional, psychological or intellectual challenges. They will have specialist skills and knowledge in their area of responsibilities which will allow them to lead in areas such as care needs assessment, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, rehabilitation and enablement, telecare and assistive technology. They may be a coach and mentor to others, or have a role in assessing performance and quality of care delivery. Lead Practitioners in Adult Care may work in residential or nursing homes, domiciliary care, day centres, a person’s own home or some clinical healthcare settings. As well as covering Lead Practitioners in Adult Care this standard also covers Lead Personal Assistants who can work at this senior level but they may only work directly for one individual who needs support and/or care services, usually within their own home.
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Description
THIS APPRENTICESHIP STANDARD WILL BE DE‑FUNDED BY SEPTEMBER 2026.
It is currently unknown whether this provider will continue to offer this programme for privately financed applications from September 2026 onwards. For the latest updates, please email
[email protected].
Duration
24 months
Most Suitable For
For those managing teams of frontline carers to look after vulnerable adults with care needs. Suitable for various roles.
Award
Level 4 Diploma in Adult Care
Programme Cost
£7,000.
Tuition fee financial support options, and how to apply for most of these, are detailed in our Apprenticeships Process Employer Guide. Please note the following important changes to apprenticeship tuition fee funding options, for August 2026-July 2027 intakes:
- For non-levy paying employers (most SMEs): the tuition fee will now be 100% gov funded if the candidate is aged 16-24 (or turning 16 June-August 2026). The education provider will advise employer how to secure this during programme application stage. For level 2-6 programmes if candidate is aged 25 or over, both the levy transfer (100% funds) and co-investment (95% funds) options will continue to be available for employers to apply for.
- For levy-paying employers: for all level 2-6 programmes, for both apprentices already on programme and future intakes, the co-investment option has changed to 25% employer contribution and 75% gov contribution. However, for future applications, the levy transfer option (100% funds) will continue to be available for employers to apply for.
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Additional Funding
- Employer incentives for apprenticeships starting between August 2026-July 2027 (see here for full details):
- £1,000 if apprentice is aged 16-18 (or turning 16 June-August 2026); or aged between 19-24 and has either an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan provided by their local authority and/or has been, or are, in the care of their local authority.
- £2,000 for non-levy paying employers only (typically SMEs) if recruit person(s) aged 16-24 (or turning 16 June-August 2026) on to an apprenticeship programme from October 2026, as long as the employment only starts within 90 days before the intake start date.
- £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant - Employer may be able to apply for this if recruits an unemployed person(s) aged 18-24 who has been on universal credit for over 6 months. Full details are available here.
- Employer may not have to pay Class 1 Employer National Insurance if apprentice is under the age of 25. Full details are available here.
Start Date
Anytime
Teaching Delivery
Blended with both face-to-face (Eastgate Campus & Leeds City College) and online teaching and resources.
Key Learning Requirements
Apprenticeships require learners to achieve specific new knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSBs), which are detailed in the Apprenticeship Standard. These are achieved by;
1) Programme Teaching; online coaching sessions , workshops (every 4 weeks) and online resources.
2) Independent study; such as assignment/project research and write up
3) Learning in the workplace; shadowing colleagues, completing programme assigned work based projects, day-to-day development within your current role duties/work activities, reflections with mentor, relevant training sessions.
Modules
https://www.qualhub.co.uk/media/25224/603-2614-1-qualification-specification-version-22.pdf
Placements
This programme does not require external placements to be completed
Assessments
Assignments, reflective accounts, presentations, professional discussions, mock interviews and discussions along with a portfolio of evidence to support all elements of EPA.
Key Candidate Entry Requirements
•Preferably, evidence of English and Maths at GCSE C/4 or above /Functional Skills Level 2 / Equivalent
•Apprentices without level 2 English and maths will need to achieve this level prior to taking the end-point assessment.
• Employed 30 hours or more per week for the duration of the apprenticeship. The apprenticeship duration may be extended to support staff who work less than this (will be looked at on individual basis)
•Undertake the Disclosure and Barring Service process and provide the result
Key Employer Entry Requirements
•To attend review meetings with the assessor and apprentice every 8 weeks to discuss progress.
•Be prepared to allow them to attend College sessions at the agreed times
• To support the learner with off the job training.
•Employers must be prepared to work with their Apprentices to develop their knowledge and skills by providing a wide range of learning and training opportunities.
Listed as an Approved Provider under an NHS Procurement
Yes
Application Timescale
It takes on average 2 months to complete all application stages for this programme.
If recruiting to this position, additional time will be required for recruitment and advertising stages.
Additional Training Hub Support
Primary Care employees have access to:
- All resources provided by the Training Hub such as Digital training, Health and Wellbeing support and events.
- Plus, The Training Hub HCSW webpage highlights options and resources suitable for this role, such as phlebotomy training. And the non-clinical webpage lists training and resources for non-clinical roles. These may compliment the apprenticeship (always check suitability with your apprenticeship education provider).
Pathway
On successful completion of this apprenticeship, examples of further development via apprenticeship options could include; Nursing Associate or Registered Nurse or Leadership routes. The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) has an interactive
occupational maps tool which shows the variety of progression pathways using apprenticeships.
Career progression does not have to be linear. Entry criteria may differ per provider and even more varied routes may be available depending on the individuals prior learning and experience.
Information Last Updated
23/04/2025
Further Programme and Provider Information
If you would like to know anything further about the programme itself, please contact: Cheryl Pemberton on [email protected]
How to Apply
If you would like to apply for an apprenticeship programme - either for yourself, a member of staff, or a vacancy position - please complete our apprenticeship form. This form is for Primary Care Employers within Lancashire and South Cumbria only.
By completing the form, the Training Hub Apprenticeships Team will be able to complete basic pre-checks, provide you with personalised guidance, and start the programme application process for you. If you would like to discuss anything first, please email [email protected] or call Olivia, Apprenticeships Manager, on 07735161775. You can find out about the stages of applying for an apprenticeship within our Apprenticeships Process (Employer Guide).
