Care staff for services in Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton
We recruit care and support staff for care homes, nursing homes, home care and supported living across Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton.
Hampshire covers 1,400 square miles, much of it rural, while Portsmouth and Southampton are dense cities with their own councils, so home care here can mean long country runs or short city visits.
Who regulates care in Hampshire
Care services in Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton are registered with the Care Quality Commission, and children’s homes with Ofsted. Every worker we put forward has had their identity and right to work confirmed, an enhanced DBS check with the barred list the role needs, and references from recent care work.
The Isle of Wight has its own council and is not part of Hampshire County Council, though the same regulator and checks apply there.
- 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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- Hampshire County Council
- Portsmouth City Council
- Southampton City Council
- NHS integrated care board
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- NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board
- Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Care services in Hampshire
NHS Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board works through four place-based partnerships, for Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Southampton. North East Hampshire joined it on 1 April 2026, when NHS Frimley was dissolved.
In Portsmouth, the CQC’s assessment published in July 2026 counted 8 care homes with nursing, 24 without nursing and 62 commissioned home care providers. In Southampton, providers told the CQC in June 2026 that low rates and short care packages, with travel costs to absorb, made some home care unviable.
Skills for Care put staff turnover in Hampshire’s adult social care at 31.9 per cent in 2024/25, above the South East average of 25.2 per cent. Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust serves about 600,000 people, including Andover, Basingstoke, Eastleigh and Winchester.
A plan to reorganise the councils was withdrawn in September 2026, so the county and city councils keep their roles. The Hampshire and the Solent Combined County Authority was set up in 2026, with its first mayoral election due on 4 May 2028. The M27 links the M3 at junction 4 with Fareham at junction 11.
Portsmouth’s care homes are mostly converted houses, with only six purpose-built settings, and there had been no residential or nursing home closures since 2023. The city council wants its domiciliary care providers to have the skills to provide complex care and support.
In Southampton, providers confirmed that same-day packages of home care were available, and that residential places could be found within 9 days and nursing places within 12, though the council had lost a dedicated commissioning post for recruitment and retention in a restructure.
Settings and roles we staff in Hampshire
We recruit for every setting and role below across Hampshire, Portsmouth and Southampton.
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 Hampshire
Questions from managers in Hampshire
Can you cover short home care calls in Southampton?
Yes. Tell us the call times and postcodes. Short calls spread across a city can add up to a lot of travel, so we look for workers who live close to the round and explain travel pay before they accept.
Do you cover the Isle of Wight?
Yes. Tell us the service and the shifts. Island services usually need workers who live on the island, and we look for them first.
Staff for your service in Hampshire
Call with the town and the shifts, or send the vacancy in writing.