Find nursing shifts across the North East
Book NHS and care shifts from Newcastle and Sunderland to Durham and the Northumberland coast in a few taps, see your confirmed pay before you accept, and get paid without chasing timesheets. Novello is built for nurses and carers who want steady work close to home.
Quick enquiry
Looking for work in the North East?
Leave your details and we’ll come back to you with the nursing, care and support shifts we have near you in the North East — and what they pay. It takes about twenty seconds.
Nursing in the North East
Why nurses choose Novello in the North East
Work that fits around your life, with none of the usual agency runaround.
Shifts near you, not across the region
Whether you are in Newcastle, Sunderland, Gateshead, Durham, Darlington or out towards Cramlington and the Northumberland coast, you pick the shifts that suit you. The app shows what is available nearby, so you are not driving from one end of the North East to the other for a single shift.
Confirmed pay before you say yes
Every shift shows its rate up front. Your confirmed rate is shown in the app before you accept, so you know exactly what you will earn, and you are paid promptly with no chasing timesheets or waiting weeks to find out where you stand.
Compliance sorted once, then out of your way
We handle your DBS, mandatory training and NMC revalidation checks properly, so you can move between an NHS ward in Newcastle, a Sunderland care home and a secure unit in Northumberland without repeating the same paperwork for every placement.
The region we cover
The healthcare landscape in the North East
The North East is England’s smallest and slowest-growing region by population, and an ageing, often rural one at that. Across County Durham, Tyne and Wear and Northumberland, its hospitals, mental health services and care homes all lean on flexible nursing staff.
Acute care across the North East is anchored by Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the region’s teaching-hospital heart, which runs the Royal Victoria Infirmary, home to the Great North Children’s Hospital and the Great North Trauma and Emergency Centre, the region’s major trauma centre, along with the Freeman Hospital and its Institute of Transplantation and Northern Centre for Cancer Care. Across Tyne and Wear, Gateshead Health NHS Foundation Trust runs the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Gateshead and South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust runs Sunderland Royal Hospital and South Tyneside District Hospital. In County Durham, County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust covers the University Hospital of North Durham and Darlington Memorial, while in Northumberland the twice CQC-rated Outstanding Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust runs the Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital at Cramlington, England’s first purpose-built emergency-care hospital, alongside Wansbeck General in Ashington and Hexham General.
Mental health and community care span two large trusts. Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust covers Tyne and Wear and Northumberland from bases including St Nicholas Hospital in Gosforth, home to its forensic and secure services, Hopewood Park in Sunderland and St George’s Park in Morpeth, while Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust leads mental health and learning disability care in County Durham from Lanchester Road Hospital in Durham and West Park Hospital in Darlington. The region also carries a substantial prison estate, most of it in County Durham, with the high-security HMP Frankland, HMP Durham, the women’s prison HMP Low Newton and HMP Deerbolt, plus the large HMP Northumberland at Acklington. On the independent side, Nuffield Health Newcastle, Spire Washington, the Ramsay Cobalt Hospital in North Tyneside and Woodlands Hospital in Darlington all run busy operating theatres.
Where we work
Where we cover in the North East
From the Tyne and Wear conurbation out to the Durham dales and the Northumberland coast, we place nurses and carers across every setting.
Hospitals and theatres
We support wards, day units and operating theatres across the region’s acute trusts and independent hospitals, from Newcastle’s Royal Victoria Infirmary and Freeman to Sunderland Royal, the University Hospital of North Durham and Northumbria’s emergency hospital at Cramlington.
Care homes and community
Nursing and residential homes across Tyne and Wear, County Durham and Northumberland rely on regular agency cover, and we place carers and nurses for community and district rounds too, from the cities out to the rural coast and dales.
Mental health and secure care
We cover mental health inpatient units and secure and forensic settings, from CNTW’s St Nicholas Hospital in Gosforth to Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys’ Lanchester Road in Durham, as well as nurse-led healthcare inside prisons such as HMP Frankland, HMP Durham and HMP Northumberland.
That spans County Durham, Tyne and Wear and Northumberland, taking in Newcastle, Sunderland, Gateshead, Durham, Darlington, Cramlington and the Northumberland coast.
Bordering areas we also cover include Yorkshire and the North West.
On the map
Nursing shifts across the North East
We place nurses and carers across County Durham, Tyne and Wear and Northumberland, from the Tyne to the Northumberland coast.
Specialisms in the North East
Specialisms we cover across the North East
Whatever your ward or setting, from Newcastle’s teaching hospitals to care homes across County Durham and secure units in Northumberland, there is regular work here.
- Nursing & care homes
- Mental health
- Prison nursing
- Critical care
- Theatres
Nursing & care homes
The North East’s care sector is large and under steady demand. Skills for Care put around 1,900 care-providing locations across the region in 2023/24, with roughly 95,000 posts, and while the region’s vacancy rate is the lowest in England the work is constant because the population is ageing. County Durham has around 21 per cent of residents aged 65 and over, and Northumberland is England’s most sparsely populated county with its over-85s projected to rise by around 80 per cent by 2043. That leaves nursing and residential homes across Tyne and Wear, County Durham and Northumberland needing steady, reliable agency cover, and it is some of the most consistent work we offer.
Mental health
Mental health work spans two large trusts here. Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust covers Tyne and Wear and Northumberland from St Nicholas Hospital in Gosforth, Hopewood Park in Sunderland and St George’s Park in Morpeth, while Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust leads mental health and learning disability care in County Durham from Lanchester Road Hospital in Durham and West Park Hospital in Darlington. We place mental health nurses and support workers into inpatient wards, community teams and secure units.
Prison nursing
The North East holds a substantial prison estate, most of it concentrated in County Durham. HMP Frankland is one of the country’s high-security Category A prisons, HMP Durham is a busy Category B reception prison, HMP Low Newton holds women and young offenders, and HMP Deerbolt is a Category C training prison, while Northumberland has the large Category C HMP Northumberland at Acklington. Prison healthcare is nurse-led and always short of hands, and it is some of the most rewarding work going for nurses who want something different from a ward.
Critical care
Critical care across the region centres on the Great North Trauma and Emergency Centre at the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle, the North East’s major trauma centre for the northern half of the Northern Trauma Network, backed by intensive care units at Sunderland Royal, the University Hospital of North Durham, Darlington Memorial and Northumbria’s emergency hospital at Cramlington. County Durham and Northumberland have no trauma centre of their own, so the most serious cases route to the RVI, or to James Cook in Middlesbrough for the south of County Durham. We place experienced ITU and HDU nurses where the pressure is highest.
Theatres
Theatre work runs across both sectors. The region’s NHS trusts operate scores of theatres between them, from the Newcastle teaching hospitals to Sunderland Royal, the University Hospital of North Durham and Northumbria’s sites, and the independent hospitals, Nuffield Health Newcastle, Spire Washington, the Ramsay Cobalt Hospital in North Tyneside and Woodlands in Darlington, all run full surgical lists. We place scrub, anaesthetic and recovery nurses across elective and emergency work.
Care & support work in the North East
Care and support work in the North East
Most care in the North East is delivered by care assistants and support workers rather than registered nurses. Across County Durham, Tyne and Wear and Northumberland, Skills for Care counts around 1,900 care-providing locations, 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
Demand for care assistants across the North East is driven by an ageing population that is growing fastest in its most rural corners. In County Durham around 21% of residents are already aged 65 or over, and Northumberland — England’s most sparsely populated county — expects its over-85s to rise by roughly 80% by 2043. Care assistants are the backbone of the region’s older people’s homes, supporting residents with everyday living, personal care and companionship.
Support worker
Specialist learning-disability care across County Durham is led by Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust, and the region’s councils are steadily shifting support away from residential care and 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
An estimated 5,399 people aged 65 or over were living with dementia in Northumberland alone in late 2023, a figure expected to reach 7,000 to 8,000 by 2030 and nearly 9,000 by 2040 as the county’s older population grows. The North East also records one of the highest dementia diagnosis rates in England, so older people here tend to be identified and supported earlier. Dementia care is some of the most valued work in the sector, supporting residents to live well day to day.
Brain injury
The North East has a genuine specialist neuro anchor in Walkergate Park in Newcastle, run by Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust and regarded as one of Europe’s most advanced centres for neurorehabilitation and neuropsychiatry, with close to 50 specialist inpatient beds across its neuro-behavioural and highly specialist rehabilitation wards. Rehabilitation support workers here help the people they support rebuild skills and independence after an acquired 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 the North East shifts, see your confirmed pay and keep your compliance in one place. No more chasing paperwork. Everything you need, on iOS and Android.
For the North East employers
Need nurses in the North East?
We help services across the region fill shifts fast, with staff who are checked and ready.
Whether you run a nursing home in Sunderland, a ward in Newcastle or Durham, a mental health unit in Northumberland or a theatre list in Gateshead, we can supply compliant nurses and carers at short notice. Tell us what you need and we will match reliable local staff who know the setting.
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
North East nursing agency FAQs
What kind of nursing shifts can I pick up in the North East?
Plenty. We cover acute wards and theatres across trusts like Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals, South Tyneside and Sunderland, County Durham and Darlington and Northumbria Healthcare, along with care homes, community rounds, mental health units and prison healthcare, from the Tyne out to the Durham dales and the Northumberland coast.
Which areas of the North East do you cover?
All three northern counties: County Durham, Tyne and Wear and Northumberland, including Newcastle, Sunderland, Gateshead, Durham, Darlington, Cramlington, Ashington and Hexham.
How does pay work?
Every shift shows its rate before you accept, so you always know exactly what you will earn. Your confirmed rate is shown in the app before you accept, and you are paid promptly with no chasing timesheets or waiting weeks to find out where you stand.
Do you place mental health and prison nurses?
Yes. The North East has two large mental health trusts, CNTW and Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys, and a substantial prison estate including HMP Frankland, HMP Durham and HMP Northumberland. We place nurses and support workers into secure, forensic and inpatient settings as well as general wards.
I am an employer in the North East. Can you help us with staffing?
Yes. We supply checked, compliant nurses and carers to hospitals, care homes, mental health units and secure settings across County Durham, Tyne and Wear and Northumberland, often at short notice. Get in touch and we will help you fill your rota.
Ready to work on your terms across the North East?
Join Novello and start booking NHS and care shifts from Newcastle and Sunderland to Durham and the Northumberland coast today, with your confirmed rate shown before you accept and real support behind you. Download the app or get in touch to get started.
Call 0333 307 8897 · hello@novellohealthcare.com
