Healthcare Assistants (HCAs)
We connect NHS trusts, community health services and care providers with experienced, vetted healthcare assistants across the UK – supporting community nursing teams, district nursing services and health visiting teams on locum and permanent contracts.
Welcome to HG Nursing, your specialist partner for healthcare assistant recruitment in community settings across the UK.
Community nursing teams rely on skilled, experienced HCAs to support their registered nurses with patient care, clinical tasks and caseload delivery. Whether you need reliable HCA cover for a busy community team or you’re an HCA looking for flexible community shifts, we offer fast, well-matched placements from a team that understands community health services.
Why Services Choose HG Nursing for HCA Recruitment:
- Vetted before placement – DBS, right to work, Care Certificate and relevant community experience confirmed before anyone starts. We don’t send warm bodies; we send people who are ready to work.
- Community-specific experience – HCAs supporting community nursing teams need a different skill set to ward-based HCAs. We match on relevant community, home visiting or care background – not just availability.
- Reliable and responsive – Whether you need cover for tomorrow or are planning a longer-term requirement, we respond quickly and keep you informed throughout.
- Locum and permanent placements – Ad hoc cover, block bookings or permanent hire – we support all three.
Need experienced HCAs for your community team?
What Does a Community Healthcare Assistant Do?
Healthcare assistants working in community settings support registered nurses and other clinical staff in delivering care to patients in their own homes, community clinics and care settings. Unlike hospital-based HCAs who work in a supervised ward environment, community HCAs often travel independently between patients, carry out clinical tasks with a degree of autonomy, and form part of a caseload-based care team.
The role is practically demanding and requires genuine clinical competency, reliability, and the ability to work professionally with minimal direct supervision. HCAs in community settings are an essential part of the nursing team – not an afterthought.
HCA Roles and Responsibilities in Community Settings:
Community healthcare assistants typically support registered nurses with:
- Wound care and dressing changes under the direction of a registered nurse
- Observations – blood pressure, pulse, temperature, oxygen saturations, blood glucose
- Personal care and hygiene support for patients in the home
- Continence support – assisting with catheter care and continence products
- Medication prompting (not administration – this remains the responsibility of registered staff)
- Mobility and moving and handling support
- Phlebotomy (for HCAs with relevant competency sign-off)
- Health promotion and patient education under the direction of a registered nurse
- Administrative tasks – updating records, documenting visits, reporting observations to the nursing team
- Supporting new birth contacts and developmental checks alongside health visitors (for HCAs in 0–19 or health visiting support roles)
Settings We Recruit For:
- NHS Community Health Services – supporting community nursing teams with patient visits and clinic work
- District Nursing Teams – home visiting support alongside district nurses and community staff nurses
- Health Visiting Services – 0–19 support roles alongside qualified health visitors
- Intermediate Care and Reablement – supporting patient recovery and rehabilitation in the community
- Care Homes and Residential Settings – HCA support in care home environments
- Community Clinics – clinic-based HCA work in GP surgeries, community health centres and PCN settings
Qualifications, Roles & Responsibilities:
Every HCA we place holds:
- Care Certificate (or equivalent – must be completed or working towards for any patient-facing community role)
- Enhanced DBS with adults’ barred list; children’s barred list for roles involving children or young people
- Moving and handling training, basic life support and infection control – all current
- Relevant experience in a community, domiciliary or care home setting – most community HCA roles require at least 6 months of relevant experience
- A full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle – required for most community and home visiting HCA roles
- For HCAs with additional competencies (phlebotomy, observations, ECG): relevant sign-off and competency evidence confirmed during registration
Locum HCA Opportunities:
Community HCA locum work offers flexible shifts across different services and settings, with the chance to build clinical skills alongside experienced community nurses. Whether you want regular shifts within a specific NHS trust’s community team, short-term cover blocks, or ad hoc work to fit around other commitments, we’ll find the right opportunities for your background and availability.
We have active HCA requirements across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol, Cardiff, Glasgow, Edinburgh and beyond.
HCA Pay Rates (2025/26):
Locum community HCAs typically earn £14–£18 per hour umbrella at Band 2 equivalent, and £16–£20 per hour for senior or Band 3 equivalent HCAs with additional clinical competencies or supervisory responsibilities. HCAs with specific skills – phlebotomy, observations, health visiting support – or those working in more complex community settings tend to attract the higher end of these ranges.
London and South East placements carry a premium above the national average. Weekend, evening and bank holiday shifts attract enhancements above standard day rates.
For permanent salaried roles, Band 2 runs from £24,465 (2025/26) and Band 3 from £25,147 to £26,960.
Our consultants can advise on current going rates for your experience, competencies and region.
Frequently Asked Questions:
- Do I need the Care Certificate to register as a community HCA? The Care Certificate is expected for all patient-facing community HCA roles. If you’re working towards it rather than holding it already, let us know – eligibility will depend on the individual role and employer.
- Is a driving licence required for community HCA roles? For the majority of community and district nursing support roles, yes. Most involve home visiting alongside registered nurses and require a full UK driving licence and access to a vehicle. We confirm the travel requirements for each role upfront.
- What’s the difference between a community HCA and a ward HCA? Community HCAs travel to patients in their homes or across community sites, often with greater independence than ward-based colleagues. The clinical tasks overlap but the working context – lone working, home environments, direct patient contact without immediate nursing supervision – is meaningfully different and requires relevant experience.
- Can you place HCAs for short-notice community shifts? Yes. Once an HCA is registered and compliant with us, we can respond quickly to urgent cover requirements.
- What areas do you cover? We place HCAs across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland – including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Bristol, Glasgow, Cardiff, Edinburgh and beyond.
Your future starts here!
Discover our latest opportunities or register with us today to unlock your potential!
Testimonials:
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