Agency Staff Arrive Tonight. Do You Know Who They Are?
care homes in England
annual staff turnover in adult social care
to verify with Certifyd
The reality of care homes in the UK.
Identity verification for care homes is a safeguarding obligation, not an optional extra. Certifyd uses bi-directional authentication — both the care home manager and the arriving worker cryptographically prove their identity to each other in real time. When agency staff arrive, the system verifies not just who they are, but that they hold an active membership with the agency that dispatched them and are authorised for that specific care home. The result is a tamper-proof, auditable record for every shift — evidence that satisfies CQC requirements.
There are over 15,000 care homes in England, and the sector faces a staffing crisis. With 165,000 vacancies and 39% annual turnover, care homes routinely rely on agency staff to maintain safe staffing levels. On any given night, a significant proportion of the workforce may be agency workers who have never been to that care home before.
The CQC inspects care homes against five key questions, including ‘Safe’ and ‘Well-led’. Both require evidence of robust staff identity verification and safe recruitment practices. When an inspector asks ‘Who was on shift on Tuesday night?’ and the answer relies on handwritten sign-in sheets and agency booking confirmations, that’s a safeguarding gap — not a compliance strength.
Families trust care homes to protect their most vulnerable relatives. When a daughter calls and asks ‘Who is looking after my mum tonight?’, the care home should be able to answer with cryptographic certainty. Certifyd’s bi-directional, device-bound verification means every worker on every shift is verified in real time, with tamper-proof records that demonstrate who was there, when, and under whose authority.
This is broken.
Here's why.
Agency workers arrive for shifts at care homes where they’ve never worked before and nobody recognises them.
Handwritten sign-in sheets and agency booking confirmations are unreliable and easily falsified.
CQC inspections require evidence of robust identity verification — not just onboarding paperwork.
Families cannot get real-time answers about who is caring for their relative on a given shift.
Simple verification.
Every time.
Care home registers as an Organisation on Certifyd; agency partners register separately
Each worker registers their device, creating a cryptographic identity bound to their phone
When a worker arrives for a shift, both parties verify through Certifyd — confirming identity and agency membership in real time
A tamper-proof record is created for every shift: who, when, where, and under whose organisational authority
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“Rotating agency staff cover nights and weekends. Families ask who’s looking after their parent. Honestly? We can’t always tell them fast enough.”— Manager, residential care home
Common questions.
CQC’s ‘Safe’ key line of enquiry requires care homes to demonstrate that only authorised, verified staff care for residents. Certifyd creates tamper-proof verification records for every shift, linking each worker to their verified identity, their employing agency or organisation, and their role authority. These records are audit-ready, exportable, and demonstrate ongoing identity assurance — not just point-of-hire checks.
Yes. Each agency registers as a separate Organisation on Certifyd and manages its own workers as members. When a worker arrives at the care home, verification confirms their identity and active membership with whichever agency dispatched them. The care home gets a unified verification history regardless of which agency supplied the worker.
Permanent staff can be registered as members of the care home’s own Organisation on Certifyd. This gives them the same device-bound, verifiable identity as agency workers. For care homes that want comprehensive shift records, Certifyd covers both permanent and agency staff through the same system.
Family members can be added as authorised contacts for a resident. They can receive verification notifications confirming who is on shift — the worker’s name, role, and organisational membership — without needing to call the care home. This provides transparency and peace of mind for families with vulnerable relatives.
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Verify every carer on every shift
Book a demo to see how Certifyd works for your team, or tell us about your verification needs and we'll get back to you within 24 hours.
Read: The Care Home Staffing Crisis