Brainkind Nurses & Support Workers – Jobs Available Now

Looking for brain-injury nursing or support work? Novello has agency shifts available now in Brainkind’s neuro-rehabilitation services across England, Scotland and Wales — with your confirmed rate shown in the app before you accept, and a team that helps you get compliant. Brainkind (the brain-injury charity, formerly The Disabilities Trust) has kindly agreed to be named here, and we always have work in their hospitals, rehab centres and supported living homes. If you are an experienced nurse or support worker in complex or neuro care, we would love to hear from you today. And if you are weighing up whether brain-injury rehab would suit you, everything you need is below: where the work is, what it involves, what it pays and how compliance works.

Where we have Brainkind shifts right now

Brainkind runs a network of specialist hospitals, neurological and rehabilitation centres, residential homes and supported living services the length of the country. Novello books nursing and support-worker shifts into these services, and demand is steady wherever a centre sits. Here is where the work is, by region:

• North and Yorkshire — Brainkind Neurological Centre York, a purpose-built independent hospital for post-acute neurobehavioural assessment and rehab, and Daniel Yorath House in Leeds. We cover North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire.
• North West — Brainkind Neurological Centre Lancashire in Fulwood, Preston, a nurse- and therapy-led, consultant-led service, plus Redford Court in Liverpool. We cover Lancashire and Merseyside.
• Midlands — West Heath House and Bristol Road, both in Birmingham, delivering specialist brain-injury rehabilitation. We cover the West Midlands.
• East and South East — Fen House in Ely, Cook Close in Harwich, Stagenhoe Park near Hitchin for slow-stream rehab, Kent House in Aylesbury, Kerwin Court in Horsham and Shinewater Court in Eastbourne. We cover Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, West Sussex and East Sussex.
• Scotland and Wales — Graham Anderson House and Eastfields in Glasgow, and Ty Aberdafen in Llanelli, South Wales, all delivering specialist neurological rehabilitation and long-term support.

Brainkind also runs supported living services in multiple locations, and a neurological care centre in Ipswich, Suffolk — we book support work across all of these settings. Working somewhere else? Register anyway — new work comes on all the time. Sign up in minutes or call 0333 307 8897 and tell us where you are.

What neuro-rehab support work and nursing involves

An acquired brain injury (ABI) is any brain injury that happens after birth — traumatic, such as a fall or road accident, or non-traumatic, such as a stroke, haemorrhage, lack of oxygen or infection (Headway; NHS). No two are the same, and rehabilitation is about rebuilding independence and function through a personalised programme with clear goals. That work is delivered by a multidisciplinary team: rehabilitation and support workers and nurses working alongside physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, clinical neuropsychologists and consultants in rehabilitation medicine.

As a support worker on a Brainkind shift, a typical day can include:

• Following individual support and rehab plans — working towards each person’s cognitive and physical goals, one step at a time.
• Personal care and daily living — supporting dignity, choice and routine, always led by the person’s own choices.
• Positive behaviour support — a recognised, evidence-based framework (NICE) for people whose behaviour can challenge, keeping everyone safe and understood.
• Medication support and community access — helping people take part in life outside the centre and build confidence.
• Building independence — the whole point of rehab, and the part that makes the difference you can see.

For nurses (RGN or RMN), the work sits in nurse-led, consultant-supported services managing complex neurological and nursing needs, medication, clinical observation and the safe delivery of each rehab programme. It is close, relationship-led care where continuity matters — which is exactly why we try to send you back to services and people you already know.

Who you would work for

Brainkind is a UK not-for-profit charity specialising in the assessment, rehabilitation and care of people with an acquired brain injury. Formerly The Disabilities Trust, it describes itself as the largest not-for-profit charity for acquired brain injuries in the UK, and it developed the Brain Injury Needs Indicator, a free screening tool used across health and social care. Its registered services in England are regulated by the Care Quality Commission. As a Novello agency worker you slot into Brainkind’s teams on a shift basis — this is agency work booked through the Novello app, not permanent employment with the charity — supporting their residents and patients alongside the charity’s own staff.

What you need to work in Brainkind services

• The right registration or role fit — nurses need current NMC registration (RGN or RMN); support-worker and rehabilitation-assistant roles are open to people from a range of care backgrounds.
• Enhanced DBS or PVG — anyone supporting vulnerable adults needs an enhanced DBS check (or, for the Glasgow centres in Scotland, PVG membership) and up-to-date references. If you have not got yours yet, that is exactly what our team helps you get sorted.
• The right values — patient, reliable, calm under pressure, and able to see the person before the diagnosis. Sound safeguarding and a person-centred approach matter as much as any qualification.
• Experience that helps — experience in brain injury, neuro-rehab or complex care helps, but the right values and a willingness to learn matter just as much for many roles.

If you are new to this kind of work, supported living is a natural sibling to neuro-rehab support. See how our supported living shifts work.

What the work pays

Pay for neuro-rehab support work and nursing varies by role, region and shift — days, nights, sleep-ins and weekends all differ, and senior and nurse roles pay more than entry-level support work. Vague “competitive rates” help nobody. With Novello, your confirmed rate is shown in the app before you accept a shift, so you always know exactly what a booking pays — no surprises and no chasing. Compliance, your availability and your confirmed pay all live in one app, on iOS and Android.

Already experienced in neuro or complex care? You are exactly who these services are asking for. Register today and you could be browsing shifts this week.

Is brain-injury support work right for you?

It deserves a straight answer. Brain-injury rehab is rewarding, but it asks something of you. Progress can be slow, and it is measured in small wins — a task relearned, a calmer day, a bit more independence. Some people you support will have behaviour that challenges, which is where positive behaviour support and a steady, non-judgemental manner matter. The people who thrive in these services tend to be patient, consistent and genuinely interested in the person in front of them, not just the diagnosis.

In return, you get variety, real relationships and the kind of impact that is hard to find elsewhere in care. You watch people rebuild their lives, and you are part of how it happens. Brainkind provides full induction and specialist training in its services, and because Novello tries to keep you returning to teams you know, you build continuity with both colleagues and the people you support.

Common questions

Do I need brain-injury experience?

Experience in brain injury, neuro-rehab or complex care helps, but for many support-worker roles the right values and a willingness to learn matter just as much. Brainkind provides full induction and specialist training in its services. Tell us your background when you register and we will match you to shifts that fit.

RGN or RMN — which do these services want?

Both. Neuro-rehabilitation carries complex physical and behavioural needs, so adult (RGN) and mental health (RMN) nurses are both in demand across Brainkind’s hospitals and centres, alongside senior support workers and healthcare assistants.

What about DBS and references?

You will need an enhanced DBS check (or PVG for the Glasgow centres in Scotland) and up-to-date references before you can work with vulnerable adults. If you have not got yours, we guide you through it step by step — getting you compliant is part of what we do.

How does booking shifts actually work?

It is simple: register in minutes on the Novello app, complete your DBS and references with our help, then book shifts in the app with your confirmed rate shown before you accept. We try to send you back to services you already know, so you can build continuity and real relationships with the people you support.