Supported Living Nurse & Carer Jobs: Now Hiring Nationwide

Looking for supported living work? Novello has agency shifts available now, right across the UK, for support workers, carers and nurses helping adults with learning disabilities, autism, mental health needs and physical disabilities live in their own homes. Your confirmed rate is shown in the app before you accept a shift, and if you have the right values we would love to hear from you today, whether or not you have done this work before. And if you are weighing up whether supported living would suit you, everything you need to know is below: where the shifts are, what the work involves, what you need to start, what it pays and who it is right for.

Where we have supported living shifts right now

Adult social care in England has around 1.6 million filled posts and roughly 111,000 vacancies on any given day, with demand spread right across the country and long-term need set to grow substantially by 2040. That means steady supported living work almost everywhere, and Novello books agency shifts nationwide. Right now we are particularly busy across these regions:

• North West — a dense network of supported living services for people with learning disabilities and autism. We cover Greater Manchester, Lancashire, Merseyside and Cheshire.
• Yorkshire — community-based services and small shared houses where continuity really matters. We cover West Yorkshire and South Yorkshire.
• Midlands — live demand for support workers and complex-needs nurses alike. We cover the West Midlands, Staffordshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire.
• London and the South East — a wide spread of individual flats and shared homes. We cover London, Kent, Surrey, Hampshire, Essex and Hertfordshire.
• South West and North East — from coastal counties to the North East cluster. We cover Devon, Bristol, Somerset, Tyne and Wear and County Durham.

Working somewhere else? Register anyway — we book supported living shifts across the UK, and new work comes on all the time. Sign up in minutes or call 0333 307 8897 and tell us where you are.

Supported living vs a care home

The difference matters, because it shapes the whole job. In a residential care home, the accommodation and the care are bundled together into one institutional setting. In supported living, the person usually holds their own tenancy — a home of their own, whether an individual flat or a house shared with two or three others who have similar needs — and their care and support is provided under a separate arrangement. The goal is to help someone live as independently as possible, in their own space, on their own terms.

That is why supported living serves adults with learning disabilities, autism, mental health conditions and physical disabilities: it is about enabling a life, not managing a facility. Worth knowing on the regulation side — the personal care you deliver is regulated by the Care Quality Commission, while the housing itself is not registered as a care home. Services for people with a learning disability and autistic people are held to the CQC’s “right support, right care, right culture” standards, which push for small, community-based, person-centred support.

What the work actually involves

Supported living is about enabling independence rather than doing everything for someone. You follow each person’s support plan and, where needed, a positive behaviour support approach, always led by their choices. A shift can include:

• Daily living — helping someone get up, get ready and out to work, college or day activities.
• Personal care — support with washing, dressing and mobility, done in a way that protects dignity.
• Medication support — prompting or administering in line with the person’s plan.
• Community access — shopping, appointments, hobbies and staying connected to friends and family.
• Home and admin — housework, cooking together and help with the paperwork of running a home.
• Positive behaviour support — where someone may become distressed, understanding why, meeting the underlying need and reducing any restrictive practice, always person-centred and choice-led.

Novello covers days, nights, sleep-ins and weekends, and we keep you with the same services where we can — because in supported living, relationships and continuity are the work. Shifts are days, nights, sleep-ins and weekends to fit around your life.

Support workers and nurses — two routes in

Most supported living shifts are front-line support worker and care assistant roles — the people who make independent living possible day to day. Alongside them, complex services need registered nurses for clinical oversight. Registered Learning Disability Nurses (RNLD) are the specialists most associated with learning disability supported living, supporting people with highly complex needs, behaviours that challenge and dual physical and mental health needs, and RGNs and RMNs also feature in complex services. If you are a registered nurse, this is skilled, autonomous work with real advocacy at its heart.

Who you would work for

As a Novello agency worker you slot into established supported living teams on a shift basis — specialist providers and services who support people in their own homes and shared houses across the country. You work alongside their permanent support staff, service managers and, in complex settings, clinical teams. Novello holds recognised sector accreditations including the NHS Workforce Alliance, HealthTrust Europe and APSCo UK, so you are booking through a compliant, trusted agency.

What you need to start

• The right values, first and foremost. Experience in supported living, social care or a similar setting helps, but for many roles the right values and a willingness to learn matter just as much. If you are patient, empowering and believe people deserve choice, dignity and a life of their own, you are the kind of person these services want.
• An enhanced DBS and up-to-date references. Supporting vulnerable adults is regulated activity, so an enhanced DBS check with an adults’ barred list check is required before you start, alongside a right to work check. Do not have one ready? We help you get it sorted and guide you through it.
• Nurses: NMC registration. RNLD, RGN or RMN on the current register for clinical roles.

You do not need a clinical qualification to be a support worker, and no degree or set of GCSEs is required for many entry-level roles. Employers recruit on empathy, communication and reliability and provide training. Across the sector the Care Certificate is the recognised induction standard for new support workers — useful context, not a barrier to registering with us.

What supported living pays

Honest answer: pay depends on the role, the setting and the shift. Support worker pay across the sector is generally anchored around the National Living Wage at entry level (£12.21 an hour for those aged 21 and over from April 2025), rising with experience and specialism — job boards typically report figures in the region of £13 to £14 an hour for experienced support workers, with nurse roles paid at clinical rates. 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, no chasing.

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

Is supported living right for you?

It deserves a straight answer. This is rewarding work, but it is real work. You are in someone’s home, following their lead, and progress can be gradual — the wins are often small and quiet. Some people you support may become distressed or display behaviours of concern, and staying calm, curious and person-centred matters as much as any task. The people who thrive here tend to be the ones who see the person before the diagnosis and get genuine satisfaction from helping someone do something for themselves.

What makes it worth doing

Ask people who do this work what keeps them and the answers are consistent: relationships, autonomy and impact. You are not processing people through a system — you are helping someone live the life they choose, in their own home. You build real continuity with the people you support, you develop skills that are in demand across the whole of social care, and with Novello you get the flexibility of agency shifts with your pay confirmed up front. For nurses, it is skilled, advocacy-led clinical work with room to lead.

Common questions

Do I need experience to work in supported living?

For many support worker roles, no. Experience in supported living or social care helps, but the right values and a willingness to learn matter just as much, and training is provided. Nurse roles do require current NMC registration.

What is the difference between supported living and a care home?

In supported living the person usually holds their own tenancy and their care is arranged separately, so they live in their own flat or a small shared house rather than an institution. A care home bundles the accommodation and care together. Supported living is about maximum independence with the right support around it.

Do I need a DBS before I start?

Yes — an enhanced DBS with an adults’ barred list check is required before you begin, along with up-to-date references. If you do not have one ready, that is fine: we help you get it sorted and guide you through every step.

How do I get started with Novello?

Four steps: register in minutes, complete your DBS and references (we help), then book shifts in the Novello app and work your way — days, nights, sleep-ins and weekends. The app is available on iOS and Android, and you always see your confirmed rate before you accept.