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Overall ranking · tested October 2026

Best healthcare agencies in the UK

Ranked out of the 484 agencies we test: those that work in two or more sectors, with credit for the range they cover. The unranked ones, and why, are at the end.

Overall · UK · out of 484 tested

How we rank

All rankings

Area

Every ranking covers the whole UK: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Each agency's page shows the nations it works in.

Out of 484 agencies we test · numbered top ten, then tiers

Top 10 healthcare agencies

of 484 tested · unnumbered
  7. #7

    MedicsPro

    24 yrs trading3 confirmed frameworks49 open jobs6 sectors

    All four nations

Top 25

the next 15, unnumbered

  1. Athona

    23 yrs trading4 confirmed frameworks533 open jobs4 sectors

    All four nations

  6. One Call 24

    11 yrs trading3 confirmed frameworks397 open jobs2 sectors

    All four nations

  7. NC Healthcare

    15 yrs trading4 confirmed frameworks115 open jobs2 sectors

    All four nations

  9. Secure Healthcare

    11 yrs trading2 confirmed frameworks45 open jobs3 sectors

    England

  10. Belmont Recruitment

    10 yrs trading2 confirmed frameworks22 open jobs6 sectors

    All four nations

  12. NL Group

    25 yrs trading1 confirmed framework21 open jobs2 sectors

    England

  13. National Locums

    17 yrs trading4 confirmed frameworks177 open jobs3 sectors

    All four nations

  14. Evergood Associates

    23 yrs trading2 confirmed frameworks111 open jobs6 sectors

    All four nations

  15. Ackerman Pierce

    12 yrs trading2 confirmed frameworks4 sectors

    All four nations

Hiring staff? Find an agency from this ranking

Tell us your setting, roles and area and we'll introduce you to agencies from this ranking that fit, in ranked order.

Agencies that work in one nation: England · Scotland · Wales · Northern Ireland

Looking for agency work? Browse jobs → from these agencies.

Showing 25 of 305 ranked overall

One brand per group per ranking: where sister brands from one group are tested, only the higher-ranked brand is listed. Missing an agency? Suggest it.

Unranked

Out of the 484 agencies we test, 305 are ranked overall. These 179, and 27 whose websites we couldn't read, aren't, each for the reason shown.

Specialists 103

Ranked in their one sector. The overall ranking is for agencies that work in two or more.

Part of a brand group 47

A group is ranked once, under its best-placed brand.

Measurement in progress 23

They join the rankings once our checks finish.

New 2

Being assessed now.

Website couldn't be read 27

So we can't check them yet. Each agency's page says what would help.

Companies House status 3

Not ranked while the company is dissolved or in an insolvency process.

Group pages 1

A parent company's page; its brands are ranked one by one.

The top three healthcare recruitment agencies in the UK overall for October 2026 are Pulse Healthcare, Day Webster and Pure Healthcare Group. We assessed all 484 agencies we could test with one method, from official registers, public sector framework supplier lists, company filings and each agency's own website. Those that work in two or more sectors are ranked overall; agencies that work in a single sector are ranked in that sector, and the unranked list at the end says why each of the others isn't here. Rankings are free and no agency can pay to rank. How we rank.

  • 71% are on at least one public sector staffing framework
  • Half have traded for at least 10 years
  • 95 (31%) have open jobs on our site, and 69 of those show pay on most of them

About these healthcare recruitment agencies ranked overall

305 of the 484 agencies we test are ranked overall: they work in two or more sectors, on average 2.8 each. Agencies that work in a single sector are ranked in that sector only.

216 of these agencies (71%) are on at least one public sector staffing framework, about the same as the 71% across every agency we assess. The most common are HealthTrust Europe TWS3 (155) and Crown Commercial Service RM6281 (135).

The median agency here has traded for 10.3 years, and 9 have traded for under three. 95 (31%) have open jobs on our site, and 69 of those show pay on most of them.

The settings they most often supply are NHS hospitals, care homes and private hospitals. 184 (60%) recruit for permanent roles as well as temporary or locum cover.

Further down the list, the longest-established is Search Consultancy, trading for 39 years. Sanctuary Personnel has the most open jobs on our site (1,853). The newest is Interskills Group, trading for under a year.

At the top:

  1. Pulse Healthcare: on 6 confirmed frameworks, trading 30 years.
  2. Day Webster: on 3 confirmed frameworks, trading 16 years.
  3. Pure Healthcare Group: on 4 confirmed frameworks, trading 6 years.
  4. Hunter AHP Resourcing: on 3 confirmed frameworks, trading 9 years.
  5. Your World Healthcare: on 4 confirmed frameworks, trading 21 years.
  6. ID Medical Group: on 6 confirmed frameworks, trading 27 years.
  7. MedicsPro: on 3 confirmed frameworks, trading 24 years.
  8. A24 Group: on 2 confirmed frameworks, trading 30 years.
  9. Mediplacements: on 5 confirmed frameworks, trading 20 years.
  10. Medacs Healthcare: on 6 confirmed frameworks, trading 36 years.

Figures are from our latest checks of each agency's website, Companies House and public sector framework lists. How we rank.

Questions

How are these healthcare recruitment agencies ranked?

Every agency is assessed with the same method, at the same time, from evidence we can check: official registers, public sector framework supplier lists, company filings and what each agency publishes about itself. Rather than a position for every agency, we show tiers (Top 10, 25 and 50), because small differences in the middle of a ranking aren't meaningful. No agency can pay to be listed, to rank higher or to change a result.

What makes a good healthcare recruitment agency?

Look for one that is on a public sector staffing framework, has a trading record, shows pay on its adverts and is clear about training, the checks you'll need before you start and when you'll be paid. Each agency's page here shows its frameworks, how long it has traded and its live jobs. Then talk to people who work through it.

What is a public sector staffing framework?

An approved supplier list that public sector buyers, such as NHS trusts, health boards and councils, use to book agency staff. To get on one, an agency has to meet the framework's standards on vetting, compliance and rates. Frameworks cover public sector bookings; an agency that supplies care homes, GP practices or private hospitals doesn't need one for that work. Each agency's page lists the frameworks it is on.

Do healthcare recruitment agencies pay weekly?

Of the 264 agencies here whose websites we've read, 49 say they pay weekly. The rest don't say so on their website, so ask before you register. Rates depend on the role, location and shift; each job on our site shows its pay where the advert states it.