Grade 6: ExcellentChoosing agency staff means trusting another organisation’s recruitment process. Our assessment gives you independent evidence of the standards behind the people entering your service.
Six is the Care Inspectorate’s highest grade.
The Care Inspectorate inspected The Social Care Community Partnership (Nursing), the registered nurse agency service behind The Nursing Partnership, in April 2024. The report, completed on 7 May 2024, graded leadership and staffing 6, Excellent. It graded support for people’s wellbeing 5, Very Good.
Three standards that matter when somebody enters your service.
The inspection wording is short. The practical meaning is clearer when it is connected to the decision you need to make.
Safer recruitment
Principles, vision and values positively inform practice.
Checks happen before the booking
You need evidence that identity, Right to Work, PVG, references and relevant professional registration have been considered before the worker arrives.
Quality assurance
Quality assurance and improvement is led well.
The agency stays accountable
Feedback, attendance and concerns need to be recorded, followed up and used to improve practice.
Skilled, confident staff
Staff have the right skills and are confident and competent.
Availability is not enough
The worker needs experience and preparation that fit the duties, setting and people supported.
Clearer evidence behind the staffing decision.
You may never have met the agency worker before they arrive. The useful question is what has already happened before that point.
Strong systems need somebody accountable for them.
A good agency does not disappear when a name is placed against a shift. You need a route for changes, questions, feedback or concerns, and people who understand the booking.
Grade 6, in plain English.
Clear answers make the evidence easier to use in your staffing decisions.
Is Grade 6 the highest Care Inspectorate grade?
Yes. Grade 6 is described as Excellent and is the highest point on the six-point grading scale.
Does the grade apply to The Nursing Partnership?
The report names The Social Care Community Partnership (Nursing), service number CS2013317719. The Nursing Partnership is the specialist nursing and healthcare staffing service within The Social Care Community Partnership, so the evidence relates to the registered nursing service behind it.
Does Grade 6 guarantee every worker?
No. It is independent evidence about the organisation and areas assessed, not a guarantee of every person or shift.
What should I ask when requesting staff?
Explain the setting, duties, shift, location and any essential experience or competence. A clear brief helps the agency consider suitability.
See what this standard looks like before a worker reaches your service.
Review our safer recruitment process or talk to the team about your staffing requirement.