Top 10 home care and live-in care agencies
of 24 · unnumbered
All other agencies, A–Z
14 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 home care and live-in care agencies in the UK for October 2026 include Compass Associates, A24 Group, Total Care Recruitment, Healthcare & Locum Recruitment and MJ Support Staffing. We assessed all 24 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.
- 67% are on at least one public sector staffing framework
- Half have traded for at least 9 years
- 6 (25%) have open jobs on our site, and 6 of those show pay on most of them
About these home care and live-in care agencies in the UK
24 of the 224 social care agencies we rank (11%) recruit for home and live-in care.
16 of these agencies (67%) 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 (10) and Crown Commercial Service RM6281 (5).
The median agency here has traded for 9.8 years. 6 (25%) have open jobs on our site, and 6 of those show pay on most of them.
The settings they most often supply are care homes, NHS hospitals and private hospitals. 14 (58%) recruit for permanent roles as well as temporary or locum cover. Many also recruit for residential and nursing home care, support work (learning disability, autism, mental health) and complex care.
Further down the list, the longest-established is Nursing And Caring Direct, trading for 31 years. Nurseplus has the most open jobs on our site (102). The newest is Brownsat Healthcare, trading for 3 years.
At the top:
- Compass Associates: trading 16 years, 123 open jobs on our site.
- A24 Group: on 2 confirmed frameworks, trading 30 years.
- Total Care Recruitment: on 1 confirmed framework, trading 9 years.
- Healthcare & Locum Recruitment: on 1 confirmed framework, trading 15 years.
- MJ Support Staffing: on 1 confirmed framework, trading 10 years.
- Grrs: on 1 confirmed framework, trading 9 years.
- IMC Locums: on 1 confirmed framework, trading 10 years.
- Nursing And Caring Direct: on 1 confirmed framework, trading 31 years.
- Amc Professional: on 2 confirmed frameworks, trading 10 years.
- Care2Recruit: 26 open jobs on our site.
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 home care and live-in 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 home care and live-in 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.