Find carers and nurses in Gloucestershire

Recruiting in Gloucestershire

Recruiting carers in Gloucestershire: towns and countryside need different approaches

Gloucester and Cheltenham sit only a few miles apart, so services in either town are often fishing in the same pool of carers. Out in the Cotswolds, the Stroud valleys and the Forest of Dean, the challenge is reach rather than competition. Stroud district and the Forest of Dean have median ages of 47 and 48, villages are scattered, and many rounds only work for carers with a car. Recruiting from the town next door, or from just over the county line, is often the realistic option.

Gloucestershire College offers employers a Health and Social Care Foundation Apprenticeship for younger starters and an Adult Care Worker Level 2 apprenticeship, both delivered in the workplace. Nursing homes, meanwhile, compete for registered nurses with Gloucestershire Royal and Cheltenham General hospitals and with Gloucestershire Health and Care's community services.

Carer Badge lets a Cirencester or Forest of Dean service find carers by how far they will travel, which helps where the nearest town is not where the staff live.

87% of the inspected care employers in Gloucestershire are rated Good or Outstanding by the CQC, below the 90% across the South West and in line with England as a whole (85%).