Before your first agency shift: a calmer start

1. Check that the booking is confirmed

Registering interest in a shift is different from being assigned to it. Check the confirmed date, address, start and end time, role, rate and break arrangements. Make sure any outstanding recruitment or local clearance requirements have been resolved.

Read the role brief rather than relying on a familiar job title. If the responsibilities do not match your training, experience or agreed scope, raise this before travelling. Do not treat an unanswered question as an agreement.

2. Plan your arrival

Check the entrance you should use, travel options, parking instructions and the name of the person expecting you. Ask which identification, uniform and other items the service requires. A secure establishment may have specific entry rules that need to be confirmed directly.

Allow practical time for the journey and the agreed arrival process. If you are delayed, contact the named service contact and CMB using the arrangements on your booking confirmation. Keep the message factual and give an updated arrival estimate.

3. Make local induction useful

Ask who is responsible for your induction and supervision. Establish how to obtain help, report a concern and use the service’s documentation systems within your role. Familiarity with similar work does not replace an introduction to this service.

• Confirm your responsibilities and the tasks that need specific authorisation.
• Identify the person coordinating the shift and the escalation route.
• Clarify local handover, emergency and incident-reporting arrangements.
• Ask about breaks, staff facilities and the end-of-shift review.

This is an arrival checklist, not clinical instruction. Follow the service’s policies and work within your assessed competence.

4. Keep communication professional

Ask early when you are unsure. A short clarification is often more useful than making an assumption about a local process. Tell the appropriate person if a task is outside your agreed responsibilities or if you need additional support.

Use the service’s approved systems for care information. Do not place patient details in a recruitment enquiry, personal message or timesheet note. Recruitment and finance records should contain only the information needed for those purposes.

5. Close the shift properly

Complete the handover expected of your role and confirm who reviews your hours. Record actual start and finish times and the relevant unpaid break accurately after the shift has finished.

Where your CMB portal account and booking are active, submit the timesheet through the staff area for client review. A submitted timesheet is awaiting review; it is not proof that payment has been made. Use your shift reference if you need to ask about a correction or follow-up.