Find nursing shifts across Bedfordshire
Novello Healthcare books nurses, HCAs and support workers into hospitals, care homes and community roles right across Bedfordshire, from Luton and Dunstable up to Bedford, Biggleswade and Leighton Buzzard. Pick up shifts from your phone in the app, see the pay confirmed before you accept, and get paid on time. No chasing, no surprises.
Quick enquiry
Looking for work in Bedfordshire?
Leave your details and we’ll come back to you with the nursing, care and support shifts we have near you in Bedfordshire — and what they pay. It takes about twenty seconds.
Nursing in Bedfordshire
Why nurses choose Novello in Bedfordshire
Flexible work, honest pay and a team that actually picks up the phone.
Shifts that fit your life
Book work around your week across the county, whether that is a ward at the Luton and Dunstable, a nursing home in Central Bedfordshire, or a community round near Bedford and Kempston. You choose the shifts, the sites and the hours in the app.
Pay you can see up front
Every shift shows the rate before you accept it, so there are no guessing games and no awkward conversations later. We keep timesheets simple and pay on time, every time.
Compliance made painless
Our team handles your DBS, mandatory training, references and revalidation reminders so your file stays current. We keep you ready to work across NHS and private settings without the last-minute panic.
The county we cover
The healthcare landscape in Bedfordshire
From the Luton and Dunstable and Bedford Hospital to a large community and care sector, Bedfordshire runs on nurses.
Acute hospital care in Bedfordshire is run by Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, formed in April 2020 when Bedford Hospital and the Luton and Dunstable University Hospital merged. Both sites carry a full emergency department, maternity and paediatrics, with a dedicated Paediatric Emergency Department at the Luton and Dunstable. The Luton and Dunstable also runs one of only three tertiary neonatal intensive care units in the East of England network, and in 2025 opened a new Planned Surgery Centre with eight theatres, including two hybrid theatres for vascular work. There is no major trauma centre inside the county, so the most seriously injured patients are taken to Addenbrooke’s in Cambridge or into London.
Mental health and community services across Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire and Luton are provided by East London NHS Foundation Trust (ELFT), which took on the county’s mental health contract in 2015 and its community health services in 2018. Inpatient care includes units such as Townsend Court at Houghton Regis and Oakley Court, alongside a psychiatric intensive care unit, older adult wards and community mental health teams. HMP Bedford, a Category B local prison in the town centre, has its healthcare and 24-hour inpatient unit run by Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. On the independent side, The Manor Hospital at Biddenham near Bedford, part of Circle Health Group, has offered private surgery since 1985, and both main NHS sites run private patient units, the Cobham Clinic at the Luton and Dunstable and the Bridges Clinic at Bedford Hospital.
Where we work
Where we cover in Bedfordshire
From the Luton conurbation in the south to Bedford and the market towns in the north, we book shifts county-wide.
Hospitals and theatres
We support ward, theatre and department roles at both main hospital sites, the Luton and Dunstable in Luton and Bedford Hospital, as well as the independent Manor Hospital at Biddenham. Scrub, anaesthetic and recovery nurses and ODPs are always in demand.
Care homes and community
Nursing and residential homes across Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Luton rely on agency cover, and community teams run out into towns like Biggleswade, Sandy, Flitwick and Leighton Buzzard. We book both.
Mental health and secure care
We cover mental health wards and community settings linked to ELFT services in Luton, Bedford and Houghton Regis, plus healthcare roles in the secure estate at HMP Bedford.
We book shifts in Bedford, Luton, Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard, Biggleswade, Sandy, Flitwick, Kempston, Houghton Regis and Ampthill, plus the villages in between.
Working across the border? We also cover the East of England, Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire.
On the map
Nursing shifts across Bedfordshire
We cover the whole county, from the Luton conurbation in the south to Bedford and the market towns in the north.
Specialisms in Bedfordshire
Specialisms we cover in Bedfordshire
Whatever your ward or setting, there is regular work close to home.
- Nursing & care homes
- Mental health
- Prison nursing
- Critical care
- Theatres
Nursing & care homes
Bedfordshire has an ageing population and a busy care sector to match. In Central Bedfordshire alone, the population aged 65 and over grew by 32.6 per cent between the 2011 and 2021 censuses, while the total population rose by more than 15 per cent over the same period (ONS). Nursing and residential homes across Bedford, Central Bedfordshire and Luton need registered nurses and experienced HCAs for both regular block bookings and ad-hoc cover.
Mental health
Mental health services here sit with East London NHS Foundation Trust, which runs acute wards, a psychiatric intensive care unit and older adult units at sites including Townsend Court in Houghton Regis and Oakley Court, plus community mental health teams across Bedford and Luton. We book RMNs and mental health support workers into inpatient and community roles.
Prison nursing
HMP Bedford is a Category B local prison in the middle of Bedford, holding adult men on remand and shorter sentences. Its healthcare, including a 24-hour inpatient unit, is delivered by Northamptonshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. Prison and secure healthcare is a distinct setting, and we place nurses who want that kind of varied, autonomous work.
Critical care
Both the Luton and Dunstable and Bedford Hospital run intensive care units, and the Luton and Dunstable is home to one of only three tertiary neonatal intensive care units in the East of England network. There is no major trauma centre in Bedfordshire, so major trauma routes to Addenbrooke’s in Cambridge or to London, but critical care, HDU and neonatal experience is always in demand here.
Theatres
The Luton and Dunstable opened a new Planned Surgery Centre in 2025 with eight theatres, two of them hybrid theatres built for vascular surgery, and Bedford Hospital runs its own busy elective and emergency lists. Add the independent Manor Hospital at Biddenham and the private units at both NHS sites, and scrub, anaesthetic and recovery nurses, ODPs and surgical first assistants rarely have to look far for theatre work.
Care & support work in Bedfordshire
Care and support work in Bedfordshire
Most care in Bedfordshire is delivered by care assistants and support workers rather than registered nurses. Adult social care here is commissioned by three unitary councils — Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire and Luton — and the work spans elderly care homes, supported living and brain-injury rehabilitation. Whatever your background, there is regular work near you.
- Care assistant
- Support worker
- Dementia care
- Brain injury
Care assistant
Bedfordshire has close to 170 CQC-registered care homes, around 40 of them nursing homes providing 24-hour registered-nurse care. Demand is driven by a fast-ageing population: in Central Bedfordshire the number of people aged 65 and over grew by 32.6 per cent between the 2011 and 2021 censuses, well ahead of the 15 per cent rise in the population as a whole. Care assistants are the backbone of these homes, supporting residents with everyday living, personal care and companionship.
Support worker
Central Bedfordshire Council is steadily shifting support away from residential care towards supported living: it has commissioned a new Supported Living Framework covering learning disability, physical disability, neurodiversity and mental health, appointing 68 providers to deliver it. 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
Dementia is a major driver of care demand across the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes NHS area, where several thousand people are living with a recorded diagnosis and local services work towards the national ambition of diagnosing at least two-thirds of those affected. Dementia care is some of the most valued work in the sector, supporting older people and residents to live well day to day.
Brain injury
Bedfordshire has a genuine brain-injury cluster built around Headway: Headway Bedford, a charity founded in 1984 that provides community rehabilitation for people with acquired brain injuries, and Headway Luton, which runs day centres in Luton and Houghton Regis. Rehabilitation support workers here help the people they support rebuild skills and independence after a brain 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 Bedfordshire shifts, see your confirmed pay and keep your compliance in one place. No more chasing paperwork. Everything you need, on iOS and Android.
For Bedfordshire employers
Hiring nurses in Bedfordshire?
We help wards, homes and community teams across the county fill gaps fast with staff who turn up ready.
Whether you run a nursing home in Central Bedfordshire, a ward in Luton or Bedford, or a community service reaching Dunstable, Leighton Buzzard and Biggleswade, we can supply compliant, vetted nurses and HCAs at short notice. Tell us what you need and we will match the right people to your shifts.
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
Bedfordshire nursing agency FAQs
Which hospitals sit within Bedfordshire?
Bedfordshire's acute care runs across the two Bedfordshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust sites, the Luton and Dunstable University Hospital and Bedford Hospital, alongside the independent Manor Hospital at Biddenham and the Cobham and Bridges private patient units. We place nurses and HCAs into hospital, care home and community shifts across the county wherever cover is needed.
Do you offer mental health nursing work in Bedfordshire?
Yes. Mental health services in Bedford, Luton and Central Bedfordshire are run by East London NHS Foundation Trust, and we place RMNs and mental health support workers into inpatient units such as Townsend Court at Houghton Regis and into community teams.
How does pay work?
You see the rate for every shift in the app before you accept it, so there are no surprises. Submit a simple timesheet and we pay you promptly, with no chasing.
Can I get theatre work in Bedfordshire?
Regularly. The Luton and Dunstable opened a new Planned Surgery Centre with eight theatres in 2025, Bedford Hospital runs its own lists, and the independent Manor Hospital at Biddenham adds more. We book scrub, anaesthetic and recovery nurses, ODPs and surgical first assistants.
What areas of Bedfordshire do you cover?
The whole county, from Luton, Dunstable and Houghton Regis in the south to Bedford, Kempston, Biggleswade, Sandy, Flitwick, Leighton Buzzard and Ampthill, plus the villages in between.
Ready to pick up work in Bedfordshire?
Join Novello Healthcare and start booking shifts across Bedford, Luton and the county in minutes. Download the app, see your pay before you accept, and work on your terms.
Call 0333 307 8897 · hello@novellohealthcare.com
