Care staff for services in Essex, Southend and Thurrock
We recruit care and support staff for care homes, nursing homes, home care and supported living across Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock.
Greater Essex mixes large towns such as Colchester, Chelmsford, Southend-on-Sea, Basildon and Harlow with coastal resorts, busy ports and rural country around Maldon, Braintree and Saffron Walden, and the staffing problems change with the landscape.
Who regulates care in Essex
Essex care services are registered with the Care Quality Commission, and children’s homes with Ofsted. Every worker we put forward in Essex has had their identity and right to work checked, an enhanced DBS check with the barred list the role needs, and references from recent care work.
We check every nurse on the NMC register before their first shift, which matters in a county where the council says nursing placements have long been hard to source.
- 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
-
- Essex County Council
- Southend-on-Sea City Council
- Thurrock Council
- NHS integrated care board
-
- NHS Essex Integrated Care Board
- Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust
Care services in Essex
NHS Essex Integrated Care Board launched on 1 April 2026, replacing the three integrated care boards that used to span Essex. It works through five local partnerships: Mid Essex, North East Essex, South East Essex, South West Essex and West Essex. Mid and South Essex NHS Foundation Trust runs the main hospitals at Broomfield, Basildon and Southend.
Essex County Council’s market position statement says transport continues to affect recruitment to community care, and that nursing placements have always been relatively hard to source at council rates, particularly in west and south-west Essex. Skills for Care put the adult social care vacancy rate in the county council area at 8.7 per cent in 2024/25, above the regional average of 7.1 per cent.
The M25 runs through the west of the county, with the M11, A12, A127 and A13 radiating out from it. A government decision in March 2026 to create five unitary councils was withdrawn in September 2026, so the three existing councils remain responsible for social care.
Across the Essex care market, 76.52 per cent of nursing homes, 74.91 per cent of residential homes, 64.64 per cent of home care services and 62.90 per cent of supported living services had been rated good by the CQC at the time of its June 2025 assessment. In Thurrock, the council is trying to attract younger workers by reducing zero-hour contracts, working with local colleges and redesigning career pathways.
Settings and roles we staff in Essex
We recruit for every setting and role below across Essex, Southend-on-Sea and Thurrock.
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 Essex
Questions from managers in Essex
Can you find nurses for a nursing home in west Essex?
Yes, for temporary cover and permanent posts. Essex County Council says nursing placements are hardest to source in west and south-west Essex, so we start with nurses who live within reach of your home and check each one on the NMC register.
Do you cover the coast, such as Clacton-on-Sea?
Yes. For coastal and rural services we look for workers who live locally or drive, because transport is one of the barriers the council’s market position statement names.
Staff for your service in Essex
Call with the town and the shifts, or send the vacancy in writing.