138 care employers in Plymouth could find you

Working in care in Plymouth

Thinking about care work in Plymouth, from Devonport to Plympton?

Plymouth does not fit the usual picture of the South West. It is the largest city in Devon and the second largest in the region after Bristol, and at the 2021 census its median age was 39, a touch younger than England's and well below the counties around it. A big university and the Devonport naval base help keep it that way. Care demand is still high, though, and the number of residents aged 50 to 64 grew by more than a tenth in ten years, which is the generation who will be needing support next.

Most of the care employers here are residential homes, followed by home care agencies, with a smaller group of nursing homes. Because Plymouth is a single built-up city, home care rounds usually stay within its suburbs rather than stretching across open country, and the city has a busy bus network. The Tamar marks the Cornwall border on the west side, so plenty of people who work in Plymouth care live over the water in Saltash or Torpoint.

Adult social care in Plymouth is unusual too. Livewell Southwest, a community interest company, took over the city's social care services in 2015 and works alongside its community health teams. Plymouth City Council pays direct payments onto a prepaid card, and people can use them to employ a personal assistant, though not usually a family member or someone they live with.

For NHS roles, University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust runs Derriford Hospital, a major trauma centre with around 1,000 beds. City College Plymouth offers an Adult Care Worker apprenticeship at Level 2, a Lead Adult Care Worker apprenticeship, and an Access to HE Diploma for adults heading towards nursing.

81% of the inspected care employers in Plymouth are rated Good or Outstanding by the CQC, below the 90% across the South West and below England as a whole (85%).