Hire Healthcare Assistants in the UK
Healthcare assistants (HCAs) support registered clinicians on wards, in GP practices, and in the community — an entry route into clinical work that does not require professional registration.
Registration & checks
HCA is an unregistered clinical-support role. There is no NMC/HCPC registration requirement, but an enhanced DBS check is standard and the employing NHS or care setting carries the clinical governance.
Pay reference
Agenda for Change Band 2 to Band 3
NHS HCA roles typically sit on Band 2, rising to Band 3 with experience or extended duties; quote the band in your advert.
Source: NHS Employers — Agenda for Change 2025/26 pay scales. Pay scales change — confirm the current figure before advertising.
What a strong advert states
- ✓Say the setting (ward, GP practice, community) and whether experience is required.
- ✓Quote the Agenda for Change band or hourly rate.
- ✓State the enhanced DBS requirement and any care-certificate expectation.
- ✓Mention shift patterns and whether the role is bank or substantive.
Where these roles sit
NHS trusts, GP surgeries, community-health providers, and private clinics.
Questions
- Do healthcare assistants need to be registered?
- No — HCA is an unregistered support role, which is why it is a common entry point. You should still require an enhanced DBS check and set out any Care Certificate expectation in the advert.
Other roles
GeraJobs is a job board, not a recruitment agency and not a healthcare regulator. We do not register, vet, place, or supply staff, and we do not guarantee any number of applicants. Posting a role means publishing your own advertisement — hiring, right-to-work checks, DBS checks, and professional-registration checks remain the employer’s responsibility. Any international-hiring information on these pages is general guidance for individuals who choose to move of their own accord; as a matter of policy we provide information only and do not actively recruit from countries on the WHO 2023 Health Workforce Support and Safeguards List. Fees, pay scales, and immigration rules change — always confirm the current position with the relevant official source before acting. Facts reviewed July 2026.