Last Tuesday, a woman named Claire called her mother's care home at 10pm. Her mum, 83, has dementia. Claire wanted to know one simple thing: who was on the night shift?
The receptionist put her on hold. Then came back. "I think it's one of the agency staff. I'm not sure of the name." Claire pressed: was this person DBS checked? Had they worked there before? Did they have experience with dementia patients? The receptionist didn't know. Couldn't know. The shift had been filled two hours earlier by an agency, and the paperwork was still being processed.
Claire hung up and did what thousands of families do every night across the UK. She hoped for the best.
1.5 Million Workers, One Enormous Blind Spot
There are approximately 1.5 million people working in adult social care in England alone. The sector is one of the largest employers in the country, and one of the most stretched. Staff turnover sits at around 29%, with vacancy rates consistently above 9%, according to Skills for Care workforce data. Care homes increasingly rely on agency workers to fill gaps, particularly for nights, weekends, and bank holidays.
This creates a staffing model that's inherently opaque. Permanent staff know the residents, understand their needs, and are known to families. Agency workers rotate in and out, sometimes covering a shift at one home in the morning and a different home that evening. They may never return to the same site twice.
For families, this means the person providing intimate, hands-on care to their vulnerable relative is often a complete unknown.
The Safeguarding Problem Nobody Talks About
The Care Quality Commission (CQC) sets clear standards for safe staffing, including identity verification, DBS checks, and the right to work in the UK. Care homes are required to maintain records demonstrating that every member of staff — including agency and temporary workers — has been properly vetted.
In practice, this system has significant gaps. When an agency sends a replacement worker at short notice, the care home may not receive full documentation before the shift starts. The worker arrives, gets a lanyard, and begins caring for residents.
The numbers are sobering. According to published safeguarding data, 39% of safeguarding concerns in adult social care involve staff, volunteers, or other professionals. Not strangers. Not visitors. The people who are supposed to be providing care.
This isn't a fringe issue. It's a structural vulnerability in how care is delivered.
Agency Rotation: The Gap in the System
Care agencies are required to conduct their own pre-employment checks. But the handoff between agency and care home is where things break down.
Consider the typical sequence:
- A care home has a staffing gap for tonight's shift
- They call the agency at 4pm
- The agency confirms a worker is available
- The worker arrives at 9pm
- The care home manager is off-site
- A senior carer signs the worker in with a name and start time
What's missing? Real-time verification that this person is who the agency says they are. Confirmation that their DBS is current. Evidence that they have the right to work in the UK. A record that connects the specific individual to the specific shift in a way that's auditable months later.
The care home trusts the agency. The agency trusts its own records. Nobody verifies at the point of service. And families are left entirely in the dark.
What CQC Expects vs. What Actually Happens
CQC's Regulation 19 (Fit and proper persons employed) requires providers to have recruitment procedures that ensure staff are suitable. This includes identity verification, criminal record checks, proof of qualifications, and right-to-work documentation.
During inspections, CQC assessors review personnel files. But inspections are periodic, not continuous. A care home might be inspected once every two years. Between inspections, the gap between policy and practice can widen considerably.
When CQC does find failings, the consequences are serious. Homes can be rated "Inadequate," placed in special measures, or ultimately closed. But for families, the damage is already done. The question "who was looking after Mum last night?" went unanswered one too many times.
A Better Way: Verified Check-In, Real-Time Visibility
Now imagine a different system. The agency worker arrives for the night shift. Before they enter the care floor, they scan a QR code at the entrance. In 30 seconds, their identity is verified against their Certifyd profile. Their DBS status is confirmed. Their right to work is confirmed. A timestamped, tamper-proof record is created.
The care home manager, even off-site, receives confirmation: "Sarah Johnson, Verified by Certifyd, Arrived 22:00, DBS Current."
And Claire? Claire gets a notification too. Not the worker's personal details, but the assurance she needs: the person looking after her mum tonight has been verified. Their identity is confirmed. Their credentials are current. There's a record.
No more phone calls met with uncertainty. No more hoping for the best. Just a simple, verified answer to the most important question a family can ask.
This Isn't Optional Anymore
The social care sector is under more scrutiny than ever. CQC's new single assessment framework places greater emphasis on continuous evidence of safe care. The Fair Work Agency, launching in April 2026, brings additional enforcement powers around right-to-work compliance, with penalties of up to £60,000 per illegal worker.
Care homes that can demonstrate real-time, verifiable staffing records won't just be compliant. They'll be differentiated. Families choosing between homes will increasingly ask: "How do you verify your staff?" The homes with a clear, technology-backed answer will win that trust.
The ones that say "we trust the agency" will find that answer isn't good enough anymore. Not for regulators. Not for families. And not for the vulnerable people who deserve to know that the person caring for them is exactly who they're supposed to be.
If you operate in social care and want to explore how real-time identity verification could work for your organisation, find out how Certifyd supports care providers.