92 care employers in Portsmouth could find you

Working in care in Portsmouth

Short journeys on a crowded island: caring in Portsmouth

Most of Portsmouth sits on Portsea Island, and it is packed. Census figures put it as the most densely populated local authority in the South East, which for a carer means one useful thing: the next call is rarely far away. A round can take you from Fratton to Milton to Eastney in a few minutes, and plenty of carers here get about on foot, by bike or by bus. Across the creek, Cosham, Drayton and the slopes below Portsdown Hill are more spread out.

Home care dominates the city's care employers, with about two agencies for every care home and only a small number of nursing homes. Southsea is the one district that stands out in the figures by name. The city's median age is 35, younger than England's 40, and with a university in the middle of town there are plenty of potential carers living locally, including students looking for part time hours.

Portsmouth City Council's direct payments can pay for a personal assistant, a care agency or a micro provider, a small local service offering flexible support. The council also runs the Portsmouth PA Noticeboard, a free site where personal assistants register, are accredited and can then see adverts from people looking for help. You would work for the individual, not the council.

For NHS roles, Portsmouth Hospitals University NHS Trust runs Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham, and Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust provides community services. City of Portsmouth College runs Health and Social Care courses, an online Level 2 Certificate in Preparing to Work in Adult Social Care and an Access to HE Diploma in Nursing.

76% of the inspected care employers in Portsmouth are rated Good or Outstanding by the CQC, below the 84% across the South East and below England as a whole (85%).