Nurses and care staff for nursing homes
A nursing home is a care home where registered nurses are part of the team, caring for people whose health needs go beyond personal care. On a night shift, the nurse in charge often carries the clinical responsibility for the whole home.
We recruit registered nurses (RGN and RMN), senior carers and care assistants for nursing homes, and check every nurse’s NMC registration before their first shift.
What a nursing home does and who regulates it
In England, a care home with nursing registers with the Care Quality Commission for accommodation with nursing or personal care, and a home that employs registered nurses to treat people is likely to register for treatment of disease, disorder or injury as well. Northern Ireland treats nursing homes as a separate type of service. In Scotland and Wales they are care home services that provide nursing.
Supplying temporary nurses is regulated in its own right in two nations. In Scotland a nurse agency is a care service registered with the Care Inspectorate, and in Northern Ireland nursing agencies register with RQIA. Ask us what we can offer for nurse cover in those nations before you book. Permanent nurse recruitment is open in all four.
- England
- Care Quality Commission, usually for accommodation with nursing or personal care and for treatment of disease, disorder or injury.
- Scotland
- Care Inspectorate, as a care home service.
- Wales
- Care Inspectorate Wales, as a care home service.
- Northern Ireland
- RQIA, as a nursing home.
Nursing home cover at a glance
What we usually agree with a nursing home before the first shift.
- Duties
- Nurses: assessments, care plans, medicines, wound care, clinical observations, contact with GPs and hospitals, and leading the shift. Care staff: personal care and support under the nurse’s direction.
- Shifts
- Long days and nights, with earlies and lates in some homes.
- Checks
- An NMC register check for every nurse, plus the adults’ criminal record check, references and training for all staff.
- Pay basis
- Hourly for temporary cover, with separate rates for nurses and care staff. Salaried for permanent posts.
- Qualifications
- Nurses: current NMC registration in adult or mental health nursing. Care staff: care qualifications and training as for any care home.
Roles a nursing home usually needs
Most nursing home cover is for registered nurses and the senior carers who work alongside them, with care assistants on every shift.
- 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.
- Senior care assistant Leads the care team on shift, gives medicines and keeps care plans up to date.
- Care assistant Personal care and everyday support in care homes, nursing homes and respite services.
- Deputy manager Second in charge of a care service, leading the team when the manager is not there.
- Registered manager Runs a care service and is registered with the regulator as the manager responsible for it.
Checks for nursing home staff
For nursing homes we add these checks to our standard screening:
- the nurse’s NMC PIN, the part of the register they are on, the expiry date and any conditions on their practice
- the date their revalidation is due, so a booking never runs past it
- clinical skills the shift needs, such as syringe drivers, PEG feeds, catheter care or wound care, from the nurse’s training records and references
- medicines training and competency for senior carers who support nurses with medication rounds
Nursing home shift patterns
Many nursing homes staff nurses on long days and long nights, so there are fewer handovers of clinical responsibility. Care staff may work the same pattern or earlies and lates.
- Early to or
- Late to
- Long day to
- Waking night or to or
Temporary cover and permanent hiring for nursing homes
Temporary cover
When you book a nurse, tell us whether they will be the only nurse on shift, how many residents they will be responsible for, and any clinical tasks the shift involves. We offer nurses whose experience and references fit that shift.
Permanent hiring
Nurse vacancies can take time to fill. We look for nurses with care home experience or a clear interest in it, check their registration and references early, and keep you told where each candidate is in the process.
Questions from nursing home managers
Can you check a nurse’s PIN before they arrive?
Yes. We check the NMC register for every nurse before we offer them to you, and again before a block booking starts. Their PIN and expiry date are on the profile we send.
Do you have nurses who can take charge of a night shift?
We ask every nurse about leading a shift and running a home at night, and we only offer a nurse for a nurse-in-charge shift when their experience and references support it.
Can you supply agency nurses in Scotland or Northern Ireland?
Supplying temporary nurses in Scotland and Northern Ireland needs its own registration with the Care Inspectorate or RQIA. Call us before you book and we will tell you honestly what we can offer there. Permanent recruitment of nurses is open in both.
Nurses and care staff for your nursing home
Call with the shifts and the number of residents, or send the vacancy in writing.