Find nursing shifts across Kent
From the coastal hospitals to care homes, mental health units and community teams, pick up shifts that fit your life across Kent. All booked through the Novello app, with your pay confirmed before you accept.
Quick enquiry
Looking for work in Kent?
Leave your details and we’ll come back to you with the nursing, care and support shifts we have near you in Kent — and what they pay. It takes about twenty seconds.
Live shifts
181 live shifts in and around Kent
Open now in our booking system and updated through the day. Here are the nearest few.
Nursing in Kent
Work that fits around your life
One app to find shifts across Kent, see your pay and stay compliant, backed by a team that knows the county.
Shifts across Kent
Pick up work near you, from the coastal hospitals in Margate, Ashford and Canterbury to care and community settings across the Weald and the Medway towns.
Know your pay up front
See your confirmed rate before you accept a shift. No surprises and no chasing timesheets.
Compliance made simple
We keep your documents, training and checks in one place, so you are ready to book your next shift without the last-minute scramble.
The county we cover
Every kind of nursing, right across Kent
Kent splits its hospital care across four separate NHS acute trusts and carries one of the heaviest prison estates in the South East, so the work runs far wider than any single hospital.
Kent’s hospital care is spread across four NHS acute trusts, so the work is genuinely varied. East Kent Hospitals University NHS Foundation Trust runs five hospitals, including the William Harvey in Ashford, the Kent and Canterbury in Canterbury, the Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in Margate, Buckland in Dover and the Royal Victoria in Folkestone. Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust covers Maidstone Hospital and Tunbridge Wells Hospital at Pembury, while Medway Maritime Hospital in Gillingham and Darent Valley Hospital in Dartford serve the north of the county. Kent has no major trauma centre of its own, so the most seriously injured patients travel to King’s College Hospital in London, but the trauma units at the William Harvey and Tunbridge Wells handle a heavy share of emergency and acute work.
Beyond the acute wards there is a whole other side to nursing in Kent. Mental health is led by Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust, renamed in October 2025 from the Kent and Medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust, with inpatient units such as Priority House in Maidstone and Littlebrook Hospital in Dartford, plus forensic and secure services. Community and district nursing sits with Kent Community Health NHS Foundation Trust, which runs community hospitals and teams right across the county. Kent also has one of the heaviest prison populations in the South East, including the Sheppey cluster of Elmley, Swaleside and Standford Hill on the Isle of Sheppey, along with Maidstone, Rochester, Cookham Wood and East Sutton Park. The independent sector adds theatre and ward work at KIMS Hospital in Maidstone, Spire Alexandra in Chatham and Nuffield Health’s Tunbridge Wells Hospital.
Where we work
From the Thames-side towns to the coast
We place nurses, ODPs and care staff in settings right across Kent, not just the big acute hospitals.
Hospitals and theatres
NHS and private hospitals across the county, from the acute trusts in Ashford, Canterbury, Maidstone, Gillingham and Dartford to independents like KIMS and Spire Alexandra.
Care and community
Nursing and residential homes, plus community and district nursing in people’s own homes, from West Kent through to the Isle of Thanet.
Mental health and secure
Inpatient and secure mental health services plus one of the busiest prison estates in the South East, from the Sheppey cluster to Maidstone, for nurses who want varied, autonomous work.
We work with candidates and clients right across Kent, from Maidstone, Ashford and Canterbury to Dover, Folkestone, Margate, Dartford, Gravesend and the Medway towns.
Working across the border? See our nearby pages for East Sussex, London and the wider South East.
On the map
See our Kent coverage
Explore the map to see the hospitals and towns we cover across Kent and the wider South East.
Specialisms in Kent
Specialisms across Kent
Whatever your background, there is regular work near you in Kent.
- Nursing & care homes
- Mental health
- Prison nursing
- Critical care
- Theatres
Nursing & care homes
Kent has an older population than most of England. Just over a fifth of residents are aged 65 or over (20.5%, 2021 Census), above the England average of about 18 per cent. Kent County Council, one of the largest adult social care authorities in the country, records roughly 285 care homes for older people providing close to 12,000 beds (Kent County Council Market Position Statement, 2021 to 2026), so experienced care-home and nursing-home nurses are in steady demand across the county.
Mental health
Mental health work sits mainly with Kent and Medway Mental Health NHS Trust, whose units include Priority House in Maidstone and Littlebrook Hospital in Dartford, alongside forensic and secure services. It is a good fit for nurses who want acute inpatient, PICU or community mental health experience.
Prison nursing
Kent has one of the heaviest concentrations of prisons in the South East. The Isle of Sheppey alone holds Elmley, Swaleside and Standford Hill, with Maidstone, Rochester, Cookham Wood and the women’s open prison at East Sutton Park nearby. Prison and secure healthcare offers autonomous, primary-care style nursing away from the ward.
Critical care
Kent does not have a major trauma centre of its own, so the most seriously injured patients are taken to King’s College Hospital in London. Even so, the trauma units and intensive care at the William Harvey in Ashford, Tunbridge Wells Hospital at Pembury, Medway Maritime and Darent Valley carry a heavy acute and critical-care load, so ITU and HDU experience is always wanted.
Theatres
Theatre and recovery work spans the NHS acute sites and a strong independent sector, including KIMS Hospital in Maidstone, Spire Alexandra in Chatham and Nuffield Health’s Tunbridge Wells Hospital. Scrub, anaesthetic and recovery nurses and ODPs are consistently needed.
Care & support work in Kent
Care and support work in Kent
Most care in Kent is delivered by care assistants and support workers rather than registered nurses. Kent County Council runs one of the largest adult social care operations in England, and the work spans elderly care homes, supported living and specialist neuro-rehabilitation. Whatever your background, there is regular work near you.
- Care assistant
- Support worker
- Dementia care
- Brain injury
Care assistant
Kent has around 285 older people’s care homes with close to 12,000 beds — more than 85% of all care-home beds in the county. Demand is heaviest along the coast: in districts such as Thanet nearly a quarter of residents are aged 65 or over, and in Dover the older population grew by almost a quarter in a decade. Care assistants are the backbone of these homes, supporting residents with everyday living, personal care and companionship.
Support worker
Alongside its care homes, Kent has close to 200 registered learning-disability care homes, and Kent County Council is actively shifting support away from residential care towards supported living. That means steady demand for support workers who help the people they support live as independently as possible — in their own homes and out in the community, rather than in a care-home setting.
Dementia care
More than 25,000 people are living with dementia across Kent and Medway, a figure expected to pass 34,000 by 2030 as the county’s older population grows. Local NHS services have invested heavily: a new enhanced memory assessment service has cut diagnosis waits from over six months to under three. Dementia care is some of the most valued work in the sector, supporting residents to live well day to day.
Brain injury
Kent has a genuine specialist neuro cluster — the East Kent Neuro-Rehabilitation Unit at Kent & Canterbury Hospital, the 27-bed Hothfield Neurological Rehabilitation Centre near Ashford, and a Headway brain-injury centre in Canterbury. Rehabilitation support workers here help people rebuild skills and independence after a brain or spinal injury, work closely related to the complex-care roles that involve tracheostomy and other clinical support.
Not sure which fits? See all care & support roles →
The Novello app
Your work life, in one app
Find Kent shifts, see your confirmed pay and keep your compliance in one place. No more chasing paperwork. Everything you need, on iOS and Android.
For Kent employers
Staffing a shift in Kent?
We help Kent employers fill shifts quickly with compliant, local nurses and care staff.
From care homes on the coast to hospital wards, theatres and mental health units in Maidstone, Ashford, Canterbury and the Medway towns, we supply nurses, ODPs and healthcare assistants who are checked, compliant and ready to work. Tell us what you need and we will find people near you.
Reviews
Don't just take our word for it.
Novello are highly professional, making the onboarding process easier. What I like most is the fact I can book shifts on the app at my own convenience!
Sarah Theatre
Very competent staff and a welcoming, supportive team. What I like most is the variety of shifts in the Novello app!
Khadra RGN
Everything is really simple. The whole process of joining, and then finding and booking shifts. It's so simple!
Dan SFA
Frameworks & accreditations
Good to know
Kent nursing questions, answered
What kind of nursing shifts can I pick up in Kent?
All sorts. We cover the NHS acute hospitals run by East Kent Hospitals, Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells, Medway and Dartford and Gravesham, along with care and nursing homes, community teams, mental health units like Priority House and Littlebrook, theatres in the independent sector and the county's prison estate. Whatever your specialism, there is usually work near you.
Do you cover the whole of Kent or just the main towns?
The whole county. That runs from Dartford and Gravesend in the north, through Maidstone, Tonbridge and the Weald, out to the east Kent coast around Dover, Folkestone, Margate and the Isle of Thanet, and across the Medway towns.
How quickly can I start working after registering?
Registration takes just a few minutes. Once your compliance checks and documents are in place, you can book shifts straight from the Novello app, so even if nothing suits right now you are ready as soon as it does.
Do I need prison or mental health experience to work in those settings?
It helps, but it is not always essential. Some prison and mental health placements in Kent want prior experience, while others are happy to take nurses new to the setting with the right support. Tell us your background and we will match you to work that fits.
How and when do I get paid?
You always see your confirmed rate before you accept a shift, so there are no surprises. Your pay is sorted through the app with your timesheets, so there is no chasing at the end of the week.
Ready to pick up nursing shifts in Kent?
Register in a couple of minutes and start booking shifts across Kent from the Novello app, with your pay confirmed before you say yes.
Call 0333 307 8897 · hello@novellohealthcare.com
