UK care certificates you can earn before you arrive: the online CPD courses UK employers ask for

What a UK employer expects on day one

Care providers in England are inspected by the Care Quality Commission, and CQC Regulation 18 says staff must receive the training their role needs. So most employers ask every new starter for the same core topics, wherever you trained. Their own induction and policies come on top.

• Care Certificate knowledge. The Care Certificate is the set of 16 standards new care and health support workers in England are expected to meet. Skills for Care, NHS England and Skills for Health published the current standards in March 2025. Our Care Certificate course covers the knowledge for all 16.
• Safeguarding adults and children. Types of abuse and neglect, the signs, what to do when someone tells you, and how to record and report a concern. Safeguarding Adults and Children Training covers both groups in one course.
• Moving and handling of people. Risk assessment, posture, hoists, slide sheets and the dignity of the person you are moving. Moving and Handling of People Training is the knowledge part; your employer usually adds practice with its own equipment.
• Infection prevention and control. Hand hygiene, personal protective equipment, safe cleaning and waste. Infection Prevention and Control Training.
• Medication awareness. Types of medicine, consent, the checks before giving, MAR charts, storage and what to do when something goes wrong. Medication Awareness Training.
• Food hygiene for care settings. Temperature control, cross-contamination and allergens for anyone who prepares or serves food to the people they support. Food Hygiene Level 2.
• First aid awareness. CPR, choking, bleeding and burns. First Aid Training is awareness training; see the next section for what it does not replace.
• GDPR. Handling personal data and care records safely, and what to do if there is a breach. GDPR Training.

What an online CPD certificate covers

An online CPD certificate covers the knowledge part of each topic: what the law and standards say, the signs to look for, the steps to follow and what to record. It does not cover the part your employer has to see you do, which is the subject of the next section. For the full list most care employers use, read our guide to mandatory training for care workers.

What an online certificate can and cannot do

• The Care Certificate. You can learn the knowledge for all 16 standards online before you travel. Skills for Care says e-learning alone cannot complete the Care Certificate: anything the standards ask you to demonstrate is observed in your real work by your employer, who awards the Care Certificate itself on the national template, and Skills for Care expects it to be completed within 12 weeks of starting. Arriving with the knowledge done means those 12 weeks can go on the observed part.
• First aid. An online first aid course gives you awareness. If your role needs you to be a workplace first aider, your employer must arrange a practical first aid at work course in the UK, assessed in person. No online course replaces that.
• Everything else. Safeguarding, moving and handling, infection prevention and control, medication awareness, food hygiene, dementia awareness and GDPR are knowledge courses, and online learning is the usual way UK care staff take them. Your employer may add a practical moving and handling session with real hoists and slide sheets once you are on site.
• Checking your certificate. Every Lift College certificate carries a unique number and a verification link. Your employer or recruiter can check it at liftcollege.co.uk/verify without contacting us.

These are CPD certificates issued by Lift College, not regulated qualifications. None replaces a DBS check, your right to work checks or your employer's induction.

How to buy and study from abroad

• One price in pounds sterling. The Care Certificate course is £19.99, pay once. Your bank converts the amount to your own currency at its own rate. There is no subscription and nothing added at checkout.
• No UK address or UK bank account needed. Any Visa or Mastercard works, from any country.
• Study on your phone. Short modules, each with a knowledge check, then a final test: 80% to pass, unlimited free retakes. The course runs in your phone browser, so there is nothing to install.
• Certificate the same day. Your CPD certificate issued by Lift College is a PDF with your hours, completion date, refresh date, a unique number and a verification link. You can email it to your recruiter the day you pass.
• 14-day money back. Ask within 14 days of paying for a full refund.
• Access for at least 3 years, with a free refresher. You keep access for as long as Lift College offers the course and never less than 3 years from the day you buy. When your refresh date comes round, you retake the latest version free and get a new certificate.
• Human tutor support with every CPD course.

Recruiter or sponsor buying for a group? Open a free organisation account. The first place is free with a work email, then it is £16.99 a place, paid by card or invoice, and each worker gets their own login.

The courses to take, in order

Start with the Care Certificate, because it is the longest course and the one every care employer asks about. Then take the shorter courses in the order below. The hours are the learning time shown on each course page, about 28 hours in all, which you can spread over a few weeks alongside your paperwork.

Each course has its own certificate, so you can send your recruiter each one as you finish it rather than waiting for the whole list. Browse all safeguarding and care courses, or read our guides to the best online Care Certificate courses in the UK and free vs paid Care Certificate courses online.

Ready to start? Book the Care Certificate course with Lift College for £19.99, pay once.