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Specialty ranking · tested October 2026

Best complex care agencies

30 agencies that work in complex care in the UK, ranked on the same tests. Shown as tiers; the Specialist mark shows which go deepest in social care work.

Social care & social work · Complex care · UK · 30

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.

Social care & social work by specialty

Top 10 complex care agencies

of 30 · unnumbered

  1. NL Group

    25 yrs trading1 confirmed frameworkHull

    Specialist

  2. One Call 24

    11 yrs trading3 confirmed frameworksLondon

    Specialist

  5. Day Webster

    16 yrs trading3 confirmed frameworksLoughton

    Group

  6. Clinical 24

    12 yrs trading2 confirmed frameworksSilsoe

    Specialist

  7. Medsolve

    11 yrs trading2 confirmed frameworksChester-le-Street

    Specialist

  9. A24 Group

    30 yrs trading2 confirmed frameworksLondon

    Specialist

All other agencies, A–Z

20 agencies
  1. Primary Care Recruitment
  2. Novello Healthcare
  3. Mpa Recruitment
  4. Healthcare & Locum Recruitment
  5. MJ Support Staffing
  6. Trz Care
  7. Ekklesia Integrated Services
  8. Verve Homecare Sussex
  9. Fidelis Healthcare
  10. Nova Healthcare Services
  11. Standard Nursing Agency And Care Services
  12. Superior Healthcare
  13. BlackRock Medical Recruitment
  14. Jarrodean Healthcare Recruitment
  15. Gold Staff Recruitment
  16. Center Healthcare
  17. Care Supply
  18. Northwind Healthcare
  19. AinsworthRecruitment
  20. CMS

Hiring care 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 complex care agency work? Browse complex care jobs → from these agencies.

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

The Top 10 complex care agencies in the UK for October 2026 include NL Group, One Call 24, Compass Associates, Cucumber Recruitment and Day Webster. We assessed all 30 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.

  • 80% are on at least one public sector staffing framework
  • Half have traded for at least 9 years
  • 16 (53%) have open jobs on our site, and 13 of those show pay on most of them

About these complex care agencies in the UK

30 of the 224 social care agencies we rank (13%) recruit for complex care.

24 of these agencies (80%) are on at least one public sector staffing framework, more than the 63% across all social care agencies. The most common are HealthTrust Europe TWS3 (19) and Crown Commercial Service RM6281 (13).

The median agency here has traded for 9.3 years, and 1 has traded for under three. 16 (53%) have open jobs on our site, and 13 of those show pay on most of them.

The settings they most often supply are care homes, NHS hospitals and private hospitals. 18 (60%) recruit for permanent roles as well as temporary or locum cover. Many also recruit for support work (learning disability, autism, mental health), residential and nursing home care and home and live-in care.

Further down the list, the longest-established is A24 Group, trading for 30 years. Pure Healthcare Group has the most open jobs on our site (149). The newest is Fidelis Healthcare, trading for 2 years.

At the top:

  1. NL Group: on 1 confirmed framework, trading 25 years.
  2. One Call 24: on 3 confirmed frameworks, trading 11 years.
  3. Compass Associates: trading 16 years, 124 open jobs on our site.
  4. Cucumber Recruitment: on 1 confirmed framework, trading 8 years.
  5. Day Webster: on 3 confirmed frameworks, trading 16 years.
  6. Clinical 24: on 2 confirmed frameworks, trading 12 years.
  7. Medsolve: on 2 confirmed frameworks, trading 11 years.
  8. Pure Healthcare Group: on 4 confirmed frameworks, trading 6 years.
  9. A24 Group: on 2 confirmed frameworks, trading 30 years.
  10. Eleventh Hour Group: on 1 confirmed framework, trading 8 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 complex care 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 complex care 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.