209 care employers in County Durham could find you

Working in care in County Durham

From the old pit towns to the Dales: where does a County Durham carer actually work?

County Durham is a big place made of many small ones. Rather than one large town pulling all the work towards it, care employers are spread along a string of towns: the city of Durham has the most, then Bishop Auckland, Consett and Seaham, with Newton Aycliffe, Chester-le-Street, Peterlee and Stanley not far behind. Care homes and nursing homes make up most of the market here, more than home care agencies, so a job within walking distance or a short bus ride of your own estate is a realistic hope in many of these towns.

Getting to the more rural west is another matter. When the Care Quality Commission assessed Durham County Council in 2024, it noted that too few care workers could drive, and that this was holding back care in rural parts of the county. The council's answer, through its County Durham Care Academy, included helping people through their driving test. The Academy also runs training from an introductory Skills for working in Adult Social Care course upwards. If you hold a licence and have a car, say so clearly on your profile, because it opens up rounds that town based carers cannot cover.

The population is getting older. At the 2021 census, the number of residents aged 65 to 74 had risen by about a fifth in ten years, while people aged 35 to 49 fell. Durham County Council's direct payments let people employ a personal assistant, and the council runs PA induction training, with a free DBS check included, for anyone who wants to work that way.

On the NHS side, County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust runs the University Hospital of North Durham and Bishop Auckland Hospital, plus community hospitals at Shotley Bridge, Chester-le-Street, Sedgefield, Barnard Castle and Weardale. East Durham College in Peterlee runs a Level 2 Health and Social Care course with work experience built in.

94% of the inspected care employers in County Durham are rated Good or Outstanding by the CQC, close to the 93% across the North East and above England as a whole (85%).