Reference checking for healthcare — CQC-compliant, NHS-ready, from 99p
Healthcare providers — NHS trusts, private hospitals, GP practices, dental practices — are subject to CQC Regulation 19 and NHS Employment Check Standards. Both require written references with professional conduct evidence. RefAssure automates the entire process. Written consent, safeguarding questions, full audit trail. No subscription.
Why healthcare reference checking can't be left to manual processes
In healthcare, a missed or inadequate reference isn't just an inconvenience — it's a patient safety and regulatory risk.
Two regulatory frameworks
CQC Regulation 19 applies to all registered providers. NHS Employment Check Standards add an additional layer for NHS organisations. Most reference processes don't adequately address either.
Professional registration at stake
A nurse with NMC concerns, a doctor with GMC issues — references must address professional conduct in regulated roles, not just employment dates. Generic templates miss this entirely.
Locum and agency speed pressure
Locum placements move fast. References are frequently skipped or done inadequately under time pressure — creating compliance gaps that CQC and NHS auditors find.
Audit trail gaps
NHS audits and CQC inspections require documented evidence that references were obtained correctly — not just that they exist. Phone reference notes and email chains don't stand up.
A compliant healthcare reference process, fully automated
Six steps from candidate added to PDF report in your dashboard — with candidate consent built in at step two.
Add the candidate
Enter candidate name, email and mobile. Select your clinical or non-clinical reference template. Under 2 minutes to set up.
Candidate consent collected
RefAssure contacts the candidate by email and SMS to collect written, timestamped consent before any referee is approached. GDPR compliant by design.
Referee request sent
Branded email with secure form link sent directly to the referee. No login required. Click, complete, submit — frictionless for busy clinical staff.
Automated chasing
5 email chasers + 2 SMS reminders sent automatically over 12 days. No manual intervention from your team. Most healthcare references return in 1–3 days.
Reference submitted
Referee submits the form. You're notified instantly. All responses including professional conduct and safeguarding answers stored securely.
PDF report generated
Professional PDF with full audit trail, consent record, professional conduct responses and timestamps. Ready for pre-employment files and CQC or NHS inspection.
Healthcare reference checking — four specialist areas
Every dimension of healthcare reference checking covered — from CQC compliance to NHS staffing to professional registration.
CQC Regulation 19 applies to every private hospital, clinic, GP practice and dental practice. The same safe recruitment obligations as care — but almost no content addresses healthcare specifically.
Nurses, doctors, healthcare assistants, allied health professionals, GPs, dentists, pharmacists — every clinical role has a specific reference risk profile. Generic templates miss the questions that matter.
NHS trusts, bank staff, locum doctors and agency nurses — the NHS is the UK's largest employer and one of the most under-served sectors for reference checking content and compliance guidance.
NMC, GMC, HCPC — references for professionally regulated roles must address fitness to practise concerns that standard employment checks miss entirely. Unique content that no competitor has.
Built for every part of the healthcare sector
NHS Trusts
Written references meeting NHS Employment Check Standards for all clinical and non-clinical staff — bank workers and permanent appointments.
Get StartedPrivate Hospitals & Clinics
CQC Regulation 19-compliant references for all roles in CQC-registered private healthcare settings, including agency and bank staff.
Get StartedGP Practices
Fast, compliant references for GP surgeries — permanent clinical staff, administrative roles and locum GPs on short-notice placements.
Get StartedDental Practices
CQC-registered dental practices — written references with safeguarding suitability for dental nurses, reception staff and associate dentists.
Get StartedPharmacy
Written references for pharmacy managers, pharmacists and dispensing staff in CQC-registered and GPhC-regulated pharmacy settings.
Get StartedHealthcare Staffing Agencies
Compliant references for locum doctors, agency nurses and allied health professionals before every placement — shareable PDF evidence for hirers.
Get StartedManual healthcare references vs RefAssure
See what your compliance team is dealing with now — and what changes when you automate.
| Manual process | RefAssure | |
|---|---|---|
| Candidate consent | Rarely documented formally | Written, timestamped — automatic |
| Referee chasing | Manual calls to busy clinicians | 5 emails + 2 SMS — automated |
| Professional conduct questions | Generic or missing entirely | Role-specific — mandatory fields |
| Fitness to practise question | Never included | Available in all clinical templates |
| Safeguarding suitability | Often missing | Mandatory — always asked |
| CQC/NHS audit trail | Email threads or phone notes | Professional PDF — inspection ready |
| Admin time per reference | 45–90 minutes active effort | Under 2 minutes to set up |
| Turnaround | 5–14 days | 1–3 days |
| Cost | £15–40 in staff time per ref | From 99p per reference |
Reference checking for healthcare — the complete guide
Why healthcare reference checking is subject to two regulatory frameworks
Healthcare providers in the UK operate under a dual compliance environment that most reference checking processes fail to address adequately. CQC-registered providers — which includes private hospitals, clinics, GP practices, dental practices and independent healthcare providers — are subject to Regulation 19 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014. This requires written employment references covering three years of history, with safeguarding suitability questions and a documented audit trail, before any member of staff begins work.
NHS organisations face the additional layer of NHS Employment Check Standards — a framework that specifies pre-employment checks including written employment references for all staff in clinical and patient-facing roles. The two frameworks are largely aligned, but each has specific requirements that generic reference checking processes miss. RefAssure provides templates that address both frameworks simultaneously — generating evidence that satisfies a CQC inspector and an NHS HR audit in the same document.
Why professional registration changes what references must cover
For nurses, doctors, allied health professionals and pharmacists, employment references serve a dual purpose. They verify employment history — as for any other role. But they also provide professional conduct evidence that is relevant to the individual's regulatory registration. The NMC, GMC and HCPC all have fitness to practise frameworks. A reference that reveals conduct concerns not previously reported to the regulator may need to be referred. A reference template that asks only about general performance and attendance generates no fitness to practise relevant information at all. RefAssure clinical templates include specific questions about professional conduct in regulated roles, fitness to practise concerns, and any incidents that may be relevant to the individual's professional registration.
The locum and agency compliance gap
Locum doctors, agency nurses and bank healthcare workers represent one of the most significant reference checking compliance gaps in the healthcare sector. The time pressure of locum placements — often arranged with 24 to 48 hours notice — creates an environment where reference checking is frequently deferred, abbreviated or skipped entirely. Yet locum staff have the same access to patients, the same ability to cause harm, and the same professional conduct risks as permanent staff. RefAssure returns most references within 1 to 3 days — fast enough for most locum and agency placement timescales — making compliant reference checking achievable even under the time pressures of healthcare staffing.
Healthcare reference checking — questions answered
Healthcare employers must obtain at least two written employment references covering three years of history before a healthcare worker begins practice. For CQC-registered providers this is a Regulation 19 legal obligation. References must include professional conduct questions, safeguarding suitability and disciplinary history. NHS organisations follow NHS Employment Check Standards which specify the same requirements.
Yes. RefAssure generates written references with professional conduct and safeguarding questions, full timestamped audit trail and PDF reports that meet NHS Employment Check Standards and CQC Regulation 19 requirements. Custom templates capture all required information for clinical and non-clinical NHS roles.
Yes. Private hospitals, clinics, GP practices and dental practices registered with CQC are subject to Regulation 19 safe recruitment requirements. RefAssure generates written references with mandatory safeguarding suitability questions, candidate consent documentation and a full audit trail — satisfying every CQC Regulation 19 reference requirement automatically.
Yes. Healthcare staffing agencies supplying locum doctors, agency nurses and allied health professionals can use RefAssure to generate compliant written references for every worker before placement. From 99p with no subscription. Every reference generates a shareable PDF that agencies can provide to NHS and private healthcare hirers as evidence of compliant reference checking.
Yes. RefAssure contacts the candidate first — by email and SMS — to collect written, timestamped consent before any referee is approached. This is GDPR best practice and an important safeguard in healthcare settings where data handling standards are particularly high. The consent record is included in every PDF report.
Yes. RefAssure templates can be configured to include professional registration-specific questions — addressing fitness to practise concerns, conduct in professionally regulated roles, and whether the referee has any concerns about the candidate's suitability to hold NMC, GMC or HCPC registration.
From 99p per reference with no monthly subscription, no annual contract and no per-user fees. Credits start at £9.99 for 10 references and never expire. For high-volume healthcare agencies, larger credit packs reduce the cost to as low as 80p per reference.
CQC-compliant healthcare references.
NHS-ready. From 99p.
Written consent, professional conduct questions, safeguarding suitability, full audit trail — the same compliant evidence on every healthcare appointment.
From 99p per reference · No monthly fees · Credits never expire · UK data hosting