To get your workers compliant and ready for shifts, they need a valid, up-to-date criminal record check. Here is a breakdown of exactly which documents we accept based on location, and how to get them approved without the back-and-forth.
Accepted Documents by Region
Please upload the police check that matches where the worker will be based:
England & Wales: DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service)
Scotland: PVG (Protecting Vulnerable Groups) scheme - Must be within the last
Northern Ireland: Access NI
Republic of Ireland: Garda Clearance
(If you are uploading a PVG or Garda Clearance, just follow the general upload guidelines at the bottom of this page).
Validity & Expiry Rules
Document Type | Issued By | Validity Period | Special Requirements |
DBS (England & Wales) | Issued to your agency | 3 Years | None |
DBS (England & Wales) | Other Agency (Third-Party) | 1 Year | Must be on Update Service |
Access NI (N. Ireland) | Issued to your agency | 3 Years | None |
PVG (Scotland) | Issued to your agency | 3 Years | None |
Note: If your document falls outside these timeframes, you will need to apply for a new check.
Getting the Details Right
To make sure we can approve your documents immediately, please check these specific requirements before you hit upload.
1. DBS (England & Wales)
Agency Name: Ideally, the certificate should be issued in your agency's name.
Third-Party Uploads: If the certificate was issued by another organisation, don't worry—we can still accept it, but there is one extra step (see below).
⚠️ The Third-Party DBS Rule (Please read this first) This is the most common reason for delays.
If a DBS certificate comes from a third party (i.e. an organisation other than your agency), we can only accept it if it is currently registered on the DBS Update Service. To prove this, you need to upload two things:
The Original Certificate: A clear copy of the actual DBS document.
The Update Service Screenshot: A screenshot from the online register proving the certificate is active and current.
Important: If you upload the certificate without the screenshot showing it's active, our compliance team won't be able to verify it and will have to reject the document.
2. Access NI (Northern Ireland)
For Access NI checks, we need to verify a few specific details. Please make sure your upload includes both the Access NI Checklist and the Access NI Declaration, and that we can clearly see:
The Reference Number
The Date of Issue (specifically the date the check was performed)
The Disclosure Information
Handling Disclosures & Risk Assessments
If a worker’s check comes back with a disclosure (a criminal record or caution), we need stricter documentation to ensure patient safety.
Upload the Full Picture: You must upload every single page of the certificate so we can review it in full. (Note: This rule doesn't apply to Access NI).
Complete the Profile Pack: Before we can review the document, you need to confirm in the Profile Pack section that you’ve carried out a risk assessment and are satisfied with the results.
The Review Process: We can only review these cases after you have ticked that confirmation box in the Profile Pack.
General Upload Guidelines (How to get approved fast)
When uploading these documents please ensure that any images are clear so our team can review these in full.
Please ensure any documents you upload are not password protected also as we are unable to access these and will need to reject them.
Specifically for Access NI please ensure you include the date this was checked.
When uploading a DBS please upload the original certificate and a screenshot of the DBS Update register to show this is on the Update service.
The DBS certificate should show the name of your agency, if it is in the name of another agency this must be on the DBS Update service to be approved by our compliance team.
If there are any disclosures present on a candidate's police check, all pages of the certificate must be uploaded (not applicable for Access NI). Please confirm on the Profile Pack whether a risk assessment has been carried out and whether the results were satisfactory. These cases will only be reviewed after this has been actioned.
Need more help?
Click any of the below to get some more detailed information on what we can accept.