Care staff for services in Berkshire
We recruit care and support staff for care homes, nursing homes, home care and supported living across Berkshire’s six unitary council areas.
Berkshire mixes busy towns along the M4 with rural country to the west, and care providers in the east of the county told the CQC that recruiting locally is hard.
Who regulates care in Berkshire
Berkshire care services are registered with the Care Quality Commission, and children’s homes with Ofsted. For each worker we put forward in Berkshire, we check identity and right to work, an enhanced DBS check with the right barred list, references from recent care work, and training records.
For home care in West Berkshire’s villages, we also check driving licences and insurance that covers driving for work.
- Care regulator
- Care Quality Commission (CQC) for adult social care. Ofsted registers and inspects children’s homes.
- Criminal record checks
- Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS). Care roles are usually checked at enhanced level, with the adults’ or children’s barred list where the work is regulated activity.
- Workforce register
- No national register for care workers. Nurses are on the NMC register, and social workers must be registered with Social Work England.
- Councils
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- Bracknell Forest Council
- Reading Borough Council
- Slough Borough Council
- West Berkshire Council
- Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
- Wokingham Borough Council
- NHS integrated care board
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- NHS Thames Valley Integrated Care Board
- Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust
Care services in Berkshire
Since 1 April 2026, NHS services across all six Berkshire council areas have been planned by NHS Thames Valley Integrated Care Board, which brought together NHS Frimley and NHS Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire and Berkshire West. Royal Berkshire NHS Foundation Trust provides acute services to Reading, Wokingham and West Berkshire from the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading.
The six areas differ a great deal. The CQC found in 2024 that most care providers in Windsor and Maidenhead already paid above living wage rates because recruiting locally is hard. West Berkshire is largely rural, with centres of population in Newbury, Hungerford and Thatcham, and Wokingham pays home care providers a higher rate for rural work.
Skills for Care put staff turnover in Bracknell Forest’s adult social care at 30.1 per cent in 2024/25 and its vacancy rate at 9.5 per cent, both above the South East averages.
The M4 runs across the county and has been upgraded between junctions 3 and 12.
In Reading, 34 home care providers were actively working in the borough when the CQC assessed the council in 2025, and 81 per cent of the home care the council bought was for people over 65. The council raised home care rates by 6.62 per cent in April 2024 so providers could keep paying the Real Living Wage, and its market position statement for 2024 to 2027 identifies a need for more nursing home beds for people living with dementia.
In Slough, the council told the CQC in 2025 that it had enough home care and block contracts with residential and nursing homes, though most providers said the council did not support them with recruitment and retention.
Settings and roles we staff in Berkshire
We recruit for every setting and role below in all six Berkshire council areas.
Care settings
- Care homes Residential homes where people live with care and support around the clock.
- Nursing homes Care homes that provide nursing care, with registered nurses on the rota day and night.
- Home care Visits to people in their own homes to help with personal care, meals and medicines.
- Supported living People with their own tenancies and a support team who help them live the way they choose.
- Learning disability and autism Support for autistic people and people with a learning disability, in any setting.
- Mental health services Care homes, supported accommodation and community support for people with mental health needs.
- Children’s homes Residential homes for children and young people who cannot live with their families.
- Housing support Help to keep a tenancy and live independently, in supported housing or in people’s own homes.
- Respite and day services Short breaks for people and their carers, and daytime support and activities.
Roles
- Care assistant Personal care and everyday support in care homes, nursing homes and respite services.
- Senior care assistant Leads the care team on shift, gives medicines and keeps care plans up to date.
- Home care worker Works on runs of home visits, helping people keep living in their own homes.
- Support worker Helps people live independently in supported living, and learning disability and mental health services.
- Senior support worker Leads a support team on shift, guides colleagues and keeps support plans current.
- Registered nurse (RGN) Registered general nurses for nursing homes and care homes with nursing.
- Mental health nurse (RMN) Registered mental health nurses for nursing homes and specialist mental health services.
- Registered manager Runs a care service and is registered with the regulator as the manager responsible for it.
- Deputy manager Second in charge of a care service, leading the team when the manager is not there.
- Residential childcare worker Cares for children and young people living in children’s homes.
- Social worker Registered social workers for assessment, care planning and review in social care services.
- Housing support worker Helps people keep their tenancy and manage day to day, in supported housing or at home.
- Kitchen and domestic staff Cooks, kitchen assistants, housekeepers and laundry staff for care homes.
Areas near Berkshire
Questions from managers in Berkshire
Can you cover home care in rural West Berkshire?
Yes, with drivers. Tell us the villages on the run and we offer workers who drive and whose insurance covers driving for work.
Which NHS body covers us now that Frimley has gone?
NHS Thames Valley Integrated Care Board, established on 1 April 2026, covers all six Berkshire council areas.
Staff for your service in Berkshire
Call with your council area and the shifts, or send the vacancy in writing.