Healthcare assistants are working in increasingly complex care environments, where technical ability alone is no longer enough. Effective care also depends on communication, empathy, teamwork, ethical judgement, digital responsibility and the ability to respond appropriately to people with diverse and changing needs.
This is one of the key findings emerging from LYRA’s Comparative Report on Competence Mapping and Stakeholder Needs, developed within Work Package 2 of the project. The report provides the evidence base for the development of LYRA’s four competency-based VET modules and investigates where current healthcare assistant education may not fully reflect the realities of contemporary care practice.
Listening to the care ecosystem
The analysis adopted a mixed-method approach, combining an online stakeholder survey with national focus groups, group-based consultations and expert interviews. The findings were then brought together into a competence map linked, where relevant, to the European LifeComp, EntreComp and DigComp frameworks.
The online survey gathered 539 valid responses between May and August 2026, with participants mainly coming from Italy, Spain, Ireland and Sweden. Respondents represented a wide range of perspectives across the care ecosystem, including healthcare professionals, healthcare assistants, VET teachers and trainers, learners, patients, caregivers, employers and researchers. This broad participation enabled LYRA to look beyond formal job descriptions and examine what patients, families, professionals, educators and learners consider essential for high-quality care.
Relational competences emerge as a clear priority
The findings show particularly strong demand for better preparation in the relational and human dimensions of care.
Among respondents, large majority of respondents called for more opportunities to reflect on the emotional, relational, and human aspects of care, while a similarly high proportion emphasised the need to strengthen relational and communication competences (>82%).
These results suggest that relational competences should not be treated as secondary “soft skills”, but as an integral part of professional healthcare practice.
From knowing a procedure to performing effectively in real care situations
The qualitative findings add an important layer to the survey results.
Learners and recent graduates often described the gap between training and work as a transfer problem: knowing how a procedure should be carried out does not necessarily mean being able to manage it effectively in an unpredictable care environment. Tasks such as feeding, hygiene or mobilisation may simultaneously require observation, communication, respect, adaptation and professional judgement.
Teachers and trainers similarly emphasised the need for authentic practice, simulation, structured work-based learning and opportunities for learners to interpret situations and justify their decisions rather than simply reproduce procedures.
For healthcare assistants and care professionals, competence was closely associated with continuity and safety: noticing changes in a person’s condition, communicating relevant information, documenting appropriately, understanding role boundaries and working effectively with other professionals.
These findings provide an important evidence base for LYRA’s next steps in developing competency-based learning opportunities for healthcare assistants. Further details on the methodology, findings and competence priorities will be explored in greater depth in a scientific article from the LYRA project, which will be published shortly.