Maintenance

Maintenance professionals help ensure Adult Social Care environments are safe, functional and suitable for the people who live in or use them.

The work can include:

• carrying out general repairs and maintenance;
• painting and decorating;
• repairing fixtures, fittings and furniture;
• maintaining grounds and outdoor areas;
• completing routine safety checks;
• supporting fire-safety arrangements;
• monitoring heating, water and electrical systems;
• maintaining security systems;
• supporting reliable internet access;
• arranging or monitoring specialist servicing and inspections;
• keeping maintenance records;
• responding to urgent faults and breakdowns.

Maintenance roles can exist in residential care, supported living and day services.

Job titles may include:

• Maintenance Person
• Handyperson
• Maintenance Assistant
• Maintenance and Compliance Officer
• Maintenance Lead
• Property Caretaker
• Estates or Facilities roles.

Although Maintenance professionals do not usually provide personal care, their work directly affects people’s safety, dignity, comfort, independence and overall experience of Adult Social Care.

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Understanding the care environment

If you already work in Adult Social Care, you understand that a care setting is someone’s home or an important part of their daily life.

This can help you approach maintenance work in a way that protects:

• dignity;
• privacy;
• independence;
• comfort;
• safety;
• routines.

Health and safety awareness

Care workers already work within environments where identifying and reporting hazards is important.

Experience recognising:

• trip and fall hazards;
• damaged equipment;
• blocked exits;
• unsafe environments;
• infection risks;
• emergencies

can transfer into Maintenance.

Risk awareness

You may already understand risk assessments and the importance of taking action when something could cause harm.

Maintenance develops this further into environmental, equipment and premises-related risk.

Safeguarding

Maintenance staff work around people who may be at increased risk of abuse, neglect or harm.

Existing safeguarding awareness can therefore be valuable, even though Maintenance is not a direct-care role.

Communication

You may need to communicate with:

• people drawing on care and support;
• families;
• care teams;
• managers;
• contractors;
• equipment suppliers;
• external engineers and inspectors.

Experience communicating appropriately with different groups can transfer strongly.

Understanding people’s needs

Knowledge of dementia, learning disability, autism, physical disability or mental-health needs can help you carry out maintenance work sensitively.

For example, noise, disruption, room access or unfamiliar contractors may affect people differently.

Record keeping

Experience maintaining accurate care documentation can transfer into recording:

• completed maintenance;
• inspections;
• repairs;
• servicing;
• contracts;
• safety checks;
• outstanding actions.

Organisation and prioritisation

Care work often involves deciding which issue needs attention first.

Maintenance also requires prioritising between:

• routine work;
• planned inspections;
• urgent repairs;
• immediate safety risks;
• longer-term maintenance needs.

Digital skills

Experience with workplace IT systems can support the digital recording, tracking and reporting of maintenance tasks.

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Practical maintenance skills

You may need to build practical competence in areas such as:

• basic plumbing;
• basic electrical fault recognition;
• fixtures and fittings;
• minor carpentry;
• decorating;
• grounds maintenance.

You must also understand where your competence ends and when work should be passed to a suitably qualified specialist.

Building systems

You should develop an understanding of the systems that keep a care setting operating, including:

• heating;
• hot and cold water;
• electricity;
• security;
• internet connectivity;
• fire-safety systems.

Planned maintenance and inspections

Maintenance is not only about fixing things when they break.

You need to understand:

• what must be inspected;
• when inspections are due;
• who is authorised to complete them;
• how evidence is recorded;
• how outstanding actions are followed up.

This may include areas such as gas, boilers, water systems, fire safety, electrical systems and equipment.

Equipment maintenance

You should understand what equipment is used within your care setting, who is responsible for maintaining it and when specialist support is required.

The safety of people using the equipment must always come first.

Fire safety

Maintenance staff may contribute to:

• checking fire exits;
• identifying hazards;
• maintaining fire-safety systems;
• ensuring checks are completed;
• recording actions.

You need to understand your organisation’s fire procedures and your responsibilities within them.

COSHH

You should understand the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health requirements relevant to maintenance work.

This includes the safe handling, use and storage of chemicals and other potentially hazardous substances.

Water safety and Legionella

Care environments may support people who are particularly vulnerable to Legionnaires’ disease.

Maintenance work may therefore involve understanding the organisation’s water-safety arrangements, monitoring systems and responsibilities around controlling water-related risks. HSE specifically identifies care homes and healthcare settings as environments where people may be at higher risk.

Asbestos awareness

People carrying out general maintenance can be at risk of disturbing asbestos-containing materials in older buildings.

Maintenance workers should understand:

• where asbestos might be found;
• how to avoid disturbing it;
• what to do if they suspect asbestos;
• when work must stop and specialist advice is required.

HSE identifies general maintenance workers among those who may require asbestos-awareness training. Awareness training itself does not qualify someone to carry out work that disturbs asbestos.

Portable electrical equipment

You should understand the organisation’s arrangements for electrical-equipment safety, including inspection and Portable Appliance Testing where applicable.

Contractor management

Some maintenance work must be completed by external specialists.

You may need to develop skills in:

• arranging contractors;
• providing relevant information;
• monitoring work;
• checking completion;
• maintaining records;
• ensuring contractors respect the dignity and safety of people using the service.

Budget awareness

More responsible Maintenance roles may involve:

• monitoring expenditure;
• understanding available budgets;
• obtaining quotes;
• recognising when work will exceed allocated funds;
• requesting additional expenditure where necessary to maintain safety.

IT and maintenance records

You should be able to maintain accurate records of:

• maintenance work;
• inspection dates;
• servicing;
• contracts;
• outstanding repairs;
• expenditure.

DHSC identifies Level 1 of the Adult Social Care Digital Skills Framework as relevant to Maintenance roles.

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1. Start by understanding the maintenance function in your service

Learn:

• what routine checks take place;
• who completes them;
• which records are maintained;
• which work is completed internally;
• which work requires external contractors.

2. Use your care-sector knowledge as an advantage

If you already work in Adult Social Care, your understanding of:

• safeguarding;
• dignity;
• person-centred care;
• infection prevention;
• risk;
• people’s individual needs

can distinguish you from someone who only has general maintenance experience.

3. Shadow the maintenance or facilities team

Where possible, ask to observe or support appropriate tasks.

This can help you understand:

• maintenance schedules;
• safety checks;
• reporting systems;
• contractor processes;
• equipment maintenance;
• emergency responses.

4. Build practical skills safely

Develop competence in appropriate areas such as:

• minor repairs;
• decorating;
• basic plumbing;
• fixtures and fittings;
• grounds maintenance.

Do not carry out work requiring qualifications or specialist competence that you do not have.

5. Learn the compliance side

Develop an understanding of the checks and documentation required within care environments.

This may include:

• fire safety;
• water safety;
• asbestos;
• electrical safety;
• equipment servicing;
• COSHH;
• health and safety;
• vehicle maintenance where applicable.

6. Develop record-keeping skills

Learn to use your organisation’s maintenance-management system or trackers accurately.

Being able to demonstrate what was inspected, repaired, serviced and followed up is an important part of safe premises management.

7. Gain experience working with contractors

Learn how specialist maintenance is:

reported → assessed → commissioned → completed → recorded → followed up.

8. Consider a formal maintenance apprenticeship or qualification

A structured maintenance qualification can help you develop broader knowledge of building systems alongside practical workplace experience.

9. Progress towards greater responsibility

As your technical and compliance knowledge develops, seek responsibility for:

• planned maintenance;
• inspections;
• contractors;
• budgets;
• multiple sites;
• compliance monitoring;
• maintenance teams.

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Level 2 Property Maintenance Operative Apprenticeship

The Property Maintenance Operative Level 2 apprenticeship is particularly relevant to this pathway.

The occupational standard covers maintaining buildings in safe working condition and includes knowledge of areas such as:

• plumbing;
• electrical systems;
• building fabric;
• plant and equipment;
• safety systems;
• fault finding;
• planned and reactive maintenance.

Skills England specifically identifies Healthcare and Social Care among the sectors where Property Maintenance Operatives may work.

Asbestos Awareness

Appropriate asbestos-awareness training is important where maintenance work could involve materials that may contain asbestos.

HSE advises that workers who may disturb asbestos during their normal work need appropriate information, instruction and training.

Awareness training helps workers recognise the potential risk and know when to stop work, but does not qualify someone to undertake asbestos work.

Health and Safety Training

Useful development may include training relating to:

• workplace health and safety;
• risk assessment;
• fire safety;
• COSHH;
• safe use of tools and equipment;
• manual handling;
• emergency procedures.

Water Safety and Legionella Awareness

Training in water safety and Legionella control can be particularly useful in residential care environments, where some residents may be more vulnerable to infection.

Adult Social Care Digital Skills

DHSC recommends development towards Level 1 — Digital Skills for All within the Adult Social Care Digital Skills Framework.

Setting-specific learning

Training should reflect the people supported within the service.

This may include learning relating to:

• dementia;
• learning disability;
• autism;
• mental health;
• physical disability;
• infection prevention and control;
• safeguarding.

Oliver McGowan Mandatory Training on Learning Disability and Autism

DHSC identifies Tier 1 training for this pathway, with Tier 2 applicable in settings providing direct care to autistic people or people with a learning disability.

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Progression

Maintenance can develop from general premises-support work into roles with greater responsibility for buildings, compliance, contractors and teams.

A possible route could be:

Maintenance Assistant / Handyperson → Maintenance Person / Property Caretaker → Maintenance and Compliance Officer → Maintenance Lead → Estates or Facilities Management

Progression may involve increasing responsibility for:

• planned maintenance programmes;
• building-compliance systems;
• health and safety;
• contractors;
• budgets;
• staff supervision;
• multiple locations;
• estates planning.

The DHSC pathway also recognises that Maintenance staff may develop Adult Social Care knowledge and, if they choose, use that experience to move into direct-care roles.

Pay

Pay varies according to employer, location, technical expertise and level of responsibility.

General maintenance and handyperson roles may focus mainly on day-to-day repairs and premises checks, while senior Maintenance, Compliance, Estates or Facilities roles may include responsibility for contractors, statutory inspections, budgets, multiple buildings and organisational compliance

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