Recruiting and rescreening employees: why is it so important?

When it comes to recruiting for the care industry, you want to know that your candidates are not only competent, but also safe and responsible people.

 

In the Skills for Care report, The Size and Structure of the Adult Social Care Sector and Workforce in England, CEO Professor Oonagh Smyth said that over 470,000 more positions are needed in the sector by 2040. That means around 29,000 people will need to be hired each year over the next 16 years to meet demand.

Many of these potential hires will be eligible for Enhanced DBS checks if they’ll be working in direct contact with vulnerable adults. To help support the sheer scale of operations, employers will need a screening platform that can handle bulk submissions and offer quick turnarounds to ensure businesses can onboard hires as quickly as possible.

But why is it important to screen existing employees? You’ve already checked them – what more do you need to do? That’s what Care England’s dedicated partner, uCheck, is here to help answer.

State of the industry

According to the Skills for Care report, the adult social care vacancy rate has decreased from 10.5% to 7% since 2022.

Estimated vacancy rate by selected job role in 2024/25 was:

• Direct care workers (7.9%) – including care workers, community support and outreach, and personal assistants
• Managers (3.4) – including senior, registered, and deputy managers
• Regulated professions (7.5%) – including local authority social workers and occupational therapists, and registered nurses

Of these groups, vacancies were highest in domiciliary care (9.7%) and when working with direct payment recipients (9.2%). This highlights a lack of support for people who need more flexible care. These vacancies would likely require Enhanced DBS checks with a Barred Lists check.

Who needs DBS checks?

Not everyone working in the care industry will require an Enhanced DBS check – that’s only for people working in regulated activity (those regularly working with or around children or vulnerable adults).

But other roles like administrative or finance (which require a level of trust) may be eligible for Standard DBS checks, and anyone can request a Basic DBS check.

Re-checking employees

Whilst DBS checks don’t expire, it is strongly recommended that you re-screen your employees every two to three years to make sure all the information is up to date and still accurate. This is especially important for employees working around vulnerable adults, such as those in the adult care sector.

Why is re-checking important?

When you re-check existing employees, you fulfil three key points:

• Avoiding outdated information: Employee records can become outdated, leading to confusion or misinformation down the line.
• Preventing security risks: Enhanced DBS checks look at spent or unspent convictions, cautions, warnings, or reprimands – when it comes to working with vulnerable adults, you need a clear idea of someone’s criminal history to make safe, informed decisions.
• Staying compliant: Employment laws are regularly updated, so by re-screening you stay as up to date as possible with the latest legal requirements.

What happens if someone has a criminal history?

If an employee is found on the Barred Lists, then an employer has a legal responsibility to prevent them from working in regulated activity with children and/or vulnerable adults. Failure to do so can lead to a fine or up to five years in prison – for both employer and employee.

However, if a current employee only has a caution or lesser charge, then it is up to the employer to make an informed decision on whether to keep the employee or let them go. This depends on:

• The nature of the job role
• The nature of the offence
• The date of the offence

Remember: someone can’t ‘fail’ a DBS check. They either have a criminal record, or they don’t. An employer then chooses what to do with that knowledge, in line with legal guidelines.

What triggers the need to rescreen?

Here are some common reasons why employers may see the need to rescreen their employees:

• As part of a routine check: You could implement rechecking every two to three years as a standard practice across the entirety of your business.
• When employees move/change job roles or responsibilities: If an employee has been promoted or moved to another team, their job roles and responsibilities could change. When it comes to working in care, this could be the difference between a Standard or an Enhanced DBS check. Before finalising the change, make sure that an employee has been properly screened and approved.
• Returning from extended time off: Employees on career breaks may need another check to make sure they’re still eligible to work in their former job role.

Screen quickly and safely with uCheck

Whilst we only want to see the best in people, there are certain risks we just can’t take when it comes to safety. Rescreening employees and thoroughly checking new hires helps make certain nothing was missed that could impact the wellbeing of staff and patients alike.

uCheck’s simple platform, rapid check turnaround, and scalable systems means you can submit as many checks as you need all in one go, encouraging safer screening practices in 2026.

Sign up today as a Care England member

As a Care England member, you can get preferential rates and FREE registration to uCheck, saving you over £50! Sign up today and get lifetime access to the uCheck portal by clicking here and using code CAREENGLANDFREE at checkout.

Already a uCheck member? Login, and rescreen your employees today!