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Verifying a care agency’s compliance credentials before use is an important part of provider due diligence. This guide explains what to check, how to verify credentials and what to do if concerns arise.
Verifying a care agency’s compliance credentials before committing to a relationship is an important part of provider due diligence. The consequences of using a non-compliant agency, including placing workers without valid DBS checks, unverified references or expired training, fall on the provider as much as on the agency. Providers that rely on an agency’s assurances without independent verification carry compliance risk that they could have mitigated with straightforward due diligence checks.
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If the agency provides regulated activities such as domiciliary care directly, they must be registered with CQC. Providers can check an agency’s CQC registration status and inspection history on the CQC website at www.cqc.org.uk. The CQC search tool allows searches by provider name, location and type. A registered agency’s current rating, inspection reports and any enforcement actions are publicly available. If an agency claims to provide regulated activities but cannot be found on the CQC register, this requires immediate investigation.
Providers cannot legally access the full DBS record of an agency’s workers, but they can verify the status of individual workers registered with the DBS update service. Using the DBS update service online (dbsupdateservice.gov.uk), a provider can check whether a specific worker’s DBS certificate is current and whether any new information has come to light since the certificate was issued. This check requires the worker’s consent and their DBS certificate number. Providers should verify DBS update service status for any agency worker they are not familiar with before deployment.
For workers in registered professions, providers can verify current registration directly with the relevant regulatory body. Nurses can be verified on the NMC register at nmc.org.uk. Social workers can be verified on the Social Work England register at socialworkengland.org.uk. Allied Health Professionals can be verified on the HCPC register at hcpc-uk.org. These checks are free, quick and provide immediate confirmation of current registration status. Providers should carry out these checks for any worker in a registered profession before the first placement.
Membership of the Recruitment and Employment Confederation (REC) indicates that an agency has committed to the REC’s code of professional practice and ethical standards. REC membership can be verified through the REC website at rec.uk.com. REC membership is not a guarantee of compliance but it provides some assurance of commitment to professional standards and access to REC’s compliance guidance for members. Providers should not rely on REC membership alone as evidence of compliance.
Basic corporate information about an agency can be checked on Companies House at companieshouse.gov.uk. This includes the agency’s registered company number, incorporation date, registered address, director details and filing history. An agency that is newly incorporated, that has directors with a history of dissolved companies or that has not filed its accounts is not necessarily problematic but warrants additional scrutiny. Companies House information is a useful baseline check in the overall due diligence process.
The most direct way to verify an agency’s compliance credentials is to ask them to provide relevant documentation: a sample compliance file for a recently registered worker (redacted for personal data where required), their DBS policy, their reference checking procedure, their training verification protocol and their right to work checking process. A reputable agency will readily provide this documentation. Reviewing it allows providers to assess the quality of the agency’s compliance processes and to identify any areas of concern before committing to a relationship.
For related information see our articles on What Makes a Reputable Care Agency and CQC Standards for Care Agencies.
Verify compliance by checking CQC registration status on the CQC website, verifying individual worker DBS status through the DBS update service, checking professional registrations on the NMC, Social Work England or HCPC website, verifying REC membership, checking Companies House for basic corporate information and requesting documented compliance procedures directly from the agency.
You can verify the status of a worker’s DBS certificate if they are registered with the DBS update service. Using the DBS update service online, you can check whether the certificate is current and whether any new information has come to light since it was issued. This requires the worker’s consent and their certificate number. For workers not registered with the update service, you must rely on the agency’s assurance that a check has been completed and reviewed.
Raise your concerns directly with the agency’s management and give them the opportunity to respond and provide evidence. If the concerns are serious and cannot be resolved, do not use the agency until the concerns are addressed. If you have evidence of serious compliance failures, such as placing workers without DBS checks or with fraudulent documentation, you should consider reporting this to the relevant regulatory authority.
Visit our Health and Social Care Agency Resource Hub for more guides on staffing, compliance, CQC standards, agency costs and how to choose the right care agency for your organisation.
The information in this article is provided for general guidance only and does not constitute legal, regulatory or professional advice. Regulations, rates and compliance requirements change: always verify current requirements with the relevant regulatory body. SENDhelp Education Limited accepts no responsibility or liability for any loss or damage arising from reliance on this content. Any links to third-party websites are provided for convenience only and do not constitute endorsement of their content.
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