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Specialty ranking · tested October 2026

Best healthcare assistant (HCA) agencies

202 agencies that work in healthcare assistants (hcas) in the UK, ranked on the same tests. Shown as tiers; the Specialist mark shows which go deepest in nursing work.

Nursing & midwifery · Healthcare assistants (HCAs) · UK · 202

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.

Nursing & midwifery by specialty

Top 10 healthcare assistant (HCA) agencies

of 202 · unnumbered

  4. One Call 24

    11 yrs trading3 confirmed frameworksLondon

    Specialist

  5. MedicsPro

    24 yrs trading3 confirmed frameworksRomford

    Specialist

  8. Hallam Medical

    19 yrs trading2 confirmed frameworksSheffield

    Specialist

Top 25

the next 15

  2. Medsolve

    11 yrs trading2 confirmed frameworksChester-le-Street

    Specialist

  4. A24 Group

    30 yrs trading2 confirmed frameworksLondon

    Specialist

  5. NL Group

    25 yrs trading1 confirmed frameworkHull

  9. Permanent Hire

    6 yrs trading3 confirmed frameworksLondon

    Specialist

  11. Just Nurses

    12 yrs trading5 confirmed frameworksWaltham Abbey

    Specialist

Hiring healthcare assistants (hcas) 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 healthcare assistants (hcas) agency work? Browse healthcare assistants (hcas) jobs → from these agencies.

Showing 25 of 202

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

The Top 10 healthcare assistant (HCA) agencies in the UK for October 2026 include Your World Healthcare, Newcross Healthcare Solutions, Pure Healthcare Group, One Call 24 and MedicsPro. We assessed all 202 with one method, from official registers, public sector framework supplier lists, company filings and each agency's own website. Rankings are free and no agency can pay to rank. How we rank · Overall ranking.

  • 74% are on at least one public sector staffing framework
  • Half have traded for at least 10 years
  • 62 (31%) have open jobs on our site, and 43 of those show pay on most of them

About these healthcare assistant (HCA) agencies in the UK

202 of the 336 nursing agencies we rank (60%) recruit for healthcare assistants (HCAs).

150 of these agencies (74%) are on at least one public sector staffing framework, about the same as the 72% across all nursing agencies. The most common are HealthTrust Europe TWS3 (101) and Crown Commercial Service RM6281 (93).

The median agency here has traded for 10.2 years, and 2 have traded for under three. 62 (31%) have open jobs on our site, and 43 of those show pay on most of them.

The settings they most often supply are care homes, NHS hospitals and private hospitals. 113 (56%) recruit for permanent roles as well as temporary or locum cover. Many also recruit for general nursing (RGN), mental health nursing and a&E, critical care and theatres.

Further down the list, the longest-established is Ashbourne Group, trading for 31 years. Permanent Hire has the most open jobs on our site (1,119). The newest is Achievers Professionals, trading for 2 years.

At the top:

  1. Your World Healthcare: on 4 confirmed frameworks, trading 21 years.
  2. Newcross Healthcare Solutions: on 4 confirmed frameworks, trading 30 years.
  3. Pure Healthcare Group: on 4 confirmed frameworks, trading 6 years.
  4. One Call 24: on 3 confirmed frameworks, trading 11 years.
  5. MedicsPro: on 3 confirmed frameworks, trading 24 years.
  6. Secure Healthcare: on 2 confirmed frameworks, trading 11 years.
  7. Cromwell Medical Staffing: on 2 confirmed frameworks, trading 23 years.
  8. Hallam Medical: on 2 confirmed frameworks, trading 19 years.
  9. Seven Resourcing: on 1 confirmed framework, trading 15 years.
  10. Next Step Nursing: on 4 confirmed frameworks, trading 9 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 assistant (HCA) 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 assistant (HCA) 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 assistant (HCA) agencies pay weekly?

Of the 178 agencies here whose websites we've read, 34 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.