You can learn the Care Certificate online for free or pay for a course, and both routes cover the same 16 standards. Free e-learning is available to staff in the health and care sectors through NHS England's elearning for healthcare (elfh), and the official standards and templates are free to download. Paid courses from the providers we checked cost from £15 + VAT to £75 + VAT. At Lift College the Care Certificate course is 16 modules and 12 hours of learning for £19.99, pay once, with a CPD certificate issued by Lift College the same day you pass and a free refresher every 3 years.
How the Care Certificate works, free or paid
The Care Certificate is the set of standards new care and health support workers are expected to meet. Skills for Care, NHS England and Skills for Health published the updated standards in March 2025, and there are now 16, including awareness of learning disability and autism.
Whichever route you choose, you learn the knowledge behind each standard, often online. Your employer then observes your practice in your everyday work and awards the Care Certificate itself on the national Care Certificate template. So the choice between free and paid is about how you want to learn the knowledge, what record you get at the end and what support comes with it.
Free options for learning the Care Certificate online
NHS England elearning for healthcare (elfh). The elfh Care Certificate programme covers the theory behind each standard. Warwickshire County Council describes it as "freely available to access for staff in the health and care sectors" (published 27 August 2025), and the elfh Hub says its elearning "can be accessed for free, 24/7 by health and care professionals". You sign in through the elfh Hub.
The official standards and templates. Skills for Health publishes the 16 Care Certificate standards, a self-assessment tool, an assessor document, the Care Certificate template and FAQs. The NHS England (Health Education England) Care Certificate page says materials to support employers, including the revised standards and guidance, are available to download from the Skills for Health and Skills for Care websites, and describes this information as free. They show you and your manager exactly what each standard asks.
Free with a subscription. Some providers include the Care Certificate in a membership. Care Skills Academy, for example, says its Care Certificate is free with Careskills Unlimited, which starts from £2.99 per user per month.
Free and paid Care Certificate options compared
Here is what each provider shows on its own Care Certificate page, checked 11 October 2026, with prices exactly as shown.
| Provider | Price | Course length | Format and assessment | Certificate (as the provider describes it) | Refresher or validity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lift College | £19.99, pay once. No VAT charged (Lift College is not VAT registered) | 12 hours, 16 modules | Short online modules with a knowledge check after each; final multiple-choice test, 80% to pass, unlimited free retakes | CPD certificate issued by Lift College as a PDF the same day you pass, with a unique number and verification link; your employer awards the Care Certificate itself | Refresh recommended every 3 years, free refresher; access never less than 3 years |
| NHS England elfh (free) | Free for staff in the health and care sectors | Check provider | E-learning covering the theory behind each standard; assessment: Check provider | Check provider | Check provider |
| Skills for Health resources (free) | Free to download | Not a timed course | The 16 standards, a self-assessment tool, an assessor document, the Care Certificate template and FAQs | The national Care Certificate template | Check provider |
| Caredemy | £15.00 +VAT (shown as reduced from £30.00) | 20 hours (estimated) | 100% online, self-paced; multiple-choice exam, 70% to pass; retakes at no extra cost within the 12-month access period | A certificate to download or print on completion; a posted hard copy can be bought for a fee; described as evidence of knowledge-based learning | Says the Care Certificate does not require renewal and is transferable between employers |
| Care Skills Academy | From £15 (VAT: Check provider); free with Careskills Unlimited, from £2.99 per user per month | Check provider | All 16 standards in one online course; portfolio with written questioning, practice observed at work, portfolio assessed and signed off by the registered care manager | The national certificate template, printed through its system | Says there is no need to be retested with a new employer |
| High Speed Training | £20 +VAT | 10 to 12 hours, 17 modules | 100% online; 30 multiple-choice questions, 80% pass mark, retakes at no extra charge | Same day digital Record of Achievement; the employer arranges the workplace assessment and decides whether to award the Care Certificate | Check provider |
| SCIE | £75.00 + VAT per learner, with discounts for multiple licences | Check provider | Video-based e-learning with over 250 videos; an online assessment for each standard, 67% pass mark, three attempts (the page refers to 15 standards) | A certificate to download once all assessments are passed | 185 days access; page says existing staff can use it as a refresher tool |
"Check provider" means the provider's page did not show that detail when we checked.
So what does paying add?
Free and paid options both lead to the same Care Certificate, awarded by your employer. The differences sit around the learning:
- A certificate in your name. The paid courses in our table give you a certificate or record when you finish, which you can hand to your manager or add to your CPD record.
- A set price. Paid courses range from about £15 to £75 per learner in our table, and several show prices before VAT.
- Structure and a test. Paid courses usually run as a set of modules with a pass mark, which helps you see that you have covered every standard before your employer observes your practice.
- Refreshers. Some courses include a refresher; others do not state one.
If your employer already gives you access to elfh or another platform, that is a good place to start. If you are learning on your own, moving into care from another job or want a certificate in your own name, a paid course gives you that.
What you get with Lift College
The Lift College Care Certificate teaches and checks the knowledge for all 16 standards, with a knowledge check after each module. The modules run from understanding your role and duty of care through safeguarding adults and children, basic life support, infection prevention and control, to awareness of learning disability and autism.
- £19.99, pay once. One payment for one learner, no subscription and nothing added at checkout. Lift College is not VAT registered, so no VAT is charged.
- 12 hours of learning, counts towards your CPD. Study at your own pace on any device, with 80% to pass the final test and unlimited free retakes.
- CPD certificate issued by Lift College the same day. It records the knowledge for all 16 standards, 12 hours of learning, your completion date and a recommended refresh date, with a unique certificate number and a verification link.
- Free refresher every 3 years. We email you 30 days before, and you retake the latest version free.
- 14-day money back. Ask within 14 days of paying for a full refund.
It suits new care workers and support workers, health care assistants new to the NHS, personal assistants, people moving into care from another job, and anyone who completed the Care Certificate before March 2025 and wants to cover the updated standards. You need to be 16 or over. Buying for a team? Ask about team enrolment.
Where to go next
- Comparing more paid courses? Read our guide to the best online Care Certificate courses in the UK.
- Thinking about the training that follows your induction? See is online CPD training worth it for care workers, and our Safeguarding Adults Level 2 guide.
- Browse all safeguarding and care courses or every CPD course at £19.99 each.
Your next step
View the Care Certificate course
£19.99, pay once
Frequently asked questions
Is there a free Care Certificate course online?
How much does the Care Certificate cost online in the UK?
Where can I do Care Certificate training online in the UK?
Who awards the Care Certificate?
How long does the Care Certificate take online?
Sources checked
- https://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/Developing-your-workforce/Care-Certificate/Care-Certificate-standards.aspx (checked 11 October 2026)
- https://www.skillsforhealth.org.uk/resources/the-care-certificate/ (checked 11 October 2026)
- https://www.hee.nhs.uk/our-work/care-certificate (checked 11 October 2026)
- https://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/news/article/6876/care-certificate (checked 11 October 2026)
- https://portal.e-lfh.org.uk/ (checked 11 October 2026)
- https://caredemy.co.uk/product/care-certificate-online-training-course/ (checked 11 October 2026)
- https://careskillsacademy.co.uk/care-certificate/ (checked 11 October 2026)
- https://www.highspeedtraining.co.uk/courses/health-and-social-care/care-certificate/ (checked 11 October 2026)
- https://www.scie.org.uk/e-learning/care-certificate/ (checked 11 October 2026)