What Thornbury Nursing Services does

Thornbury Nursing Services is a UK private nursing staffing agency specializing in last-minute shift placements of nurses, midwives, and healthcare assistants (HCAs) across England and Wales. Founded in 1983 and operating as a trading name of Independent Clinical Services Limited within the Acacium Group, the company serves NHS trusts, private hospitals, care and nursing homes, community health settings, schools, prisons, and custodial facilities. It covers 28 nursing specialisms and competes on rapid fulfillment of urgent staffing gaps, often at short notice or in remote locations.

Its core technology is the Quick Nurse mobile application, which enables nurses to browse and book shifts in real time, receive location- and skills-matched shift alerts, and manage schedules. Supporting platforms include a Compliance Portal for credential tracking and a Video Interviewing System used during nurse onboarding. The company also operates an AI-enabled recruitment workflow (CV reformatting, candidate-job matching, automated screening and ranking, and a candidate-facing chatbot) and offers a Compliance Portal and CQC Consultancy as adjunct services.

Thornbury monetizes via a transaction-fee model: healthcare providers are charged for temporary staffing coverage while nurses are paid hourly rates that vary by specialism and shift timing. Published nurse pay rates range from approximately £39–£47/hr for standard weekday shifts up to £80.50–£144.50/hr for bank holidays, nights, and advanced practitioner roles. Go-to-market is sales-led (direct engagement with healthcare organizations) combined with self-serve nurse acquisition through the website, app, and a £500 referral bonus program. Thornbury Community Services operates as a related sub-brand providing complex home-based care with an Outstanding CQC rating.

Name

Thornbury Nursing Services

Legal name

Independent Clinical Services Limited

Website

https://thornbury-nursing.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Thornbury Nursing Services is a UK nursing staffing agency placing nurses, midwives, and HCAs into last-minute shifts across England and Wales for NHS trusts, private hospitals, care homes, and community settings, via its Quick Nurse app.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Broxbourne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Temporary Nursing Placement Services: Thornbury Nursing Services generates revenue by placing qualified nurses, midwives, and healthcare assistants into temporary shift positions at healthcare organizations across England and Wales. The company charges healthcare providers (NHS trusts, private hospitals, care homes) for staffing coverage, while paying nurses directly with competitive hourly rates that include holiday pay.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Thornbury Nursing Services is a UK-based nursing and midwifery staffing agency that connects qualified nurses, midwives, and healthcare assistants with healthcare organizations for temporary, last-minute shift placements across England and Wales. The agency places professionals across 28 nursing specialisms into NHS trusts, private hospitals, care homes, community settings, schools, and custodial facilities, with rapid response even to hard-to-cover shifts in remote locations.

Product overview

Thornbury Nursing Services is a nursing and midwifery recruitment agency specializing in last-minute shift placements for nurses, midwives, and healthcare assistants across England and Wales. The core offering consists of a staffing platform connecting healthcare professionals with NHS and private healthcare organizations. Key products include the Quick Nurse mobile app for real-time shift booking and management, a Compliance Portal for tracking nurse certifications and training, and a Video Interviewing System for the registration process. Additional specialized staffing modules include CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services) staffing, Theatre Nurses on Demand, Clinical Research Staffing, Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing services, and CQC Consultancy services. A related sub-brand, Thornbury Community Services, provides complex care at home and community-based support services. The company operates under the Acacium Group parent organization.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Quick Nurse: Mobile application platform for browsing and booking nursing shifts

Products and services

• Quick Nurse App Mobile application enabling nurses, midwives, and healthcare assistants to browse and book shifts in real-time, receive shift alerts based on skills and location, and manage their work schedule on the go.
• Compliance Portal Online platform allowing nurses to track and manage their training certifications, competencies, and compliance documentation, ensuring skills and credentials remain current.
• Video Interviewing System Video interview capability used as part of the nurse registration and recruitment process, enabling remote candidate assessment for prospective nurses.
• Temporary Nursing Staffing Services Core staffing service placing qualified nurses, midwives, and healthcare assistants into temporary shift positions at healthcare organizations across England and Wales, covering 28 nursing specialisms.
• CAMHS Staffing on Demand Specialized staffing service for Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services, providing qualified professionals for mental health support roles.
• Theatre Nurses on Demand Staffing solution for theatre nurses and Operating Department Practitioners (ODPs) to fill urgent and temporary shifts in NHS and private hospitals.
• Clinical Research Staffing Staffing solutions for clinical trials, connecting qualified healthcare professionals with research organizations conducting clinical studies.
• School Nursing Service Staffing service for school nurses to work in public and private sector schools, universities, and educational settings across England and Wales.
• CQC Consultancy Service Advisory service for healthcare organizations including mock CQC inspections, specialist CQC audits, CQC training, and webinars to help clients prepare for regulatory inspections.
• Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing Testing services for employers including construction sites, maritime, and warehousing sectors to ensure workplace safety compliance.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nurses receive referral bonuses of up to £500 for referring qualified colleagues

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability6 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Acacium GroupcoreOthersThornbury Nursing Services is a trading name of Independent Clinical Services Limited, which is part of the Acacium Group of companies. Acacium Group is the parent company providing corporate infrastructure including HR, IT, finance, and data protection oversight. All group companies share data under intra-group data sharing agreements for operational efficiency and regulatory compliance.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves1 record

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Florence: Digital-first UK nursing marketplace enabling nurses to browse and book shifts directly with care providers. Closest direct competitor to Thornbury's Quick Nurse self-serve model and last-minute placement focus.
• ID Medical: UK medical staffing agency placing doctors, nurses, AHPs and HSS staff into NHS and private settings. Directly comparable in customer base, multi-specialism coverage and temporary placement model.
• Your World Healthcare: Large UK healthcare staffing agency supplying nurses, midwives and allied health professionals to NHS and private clients. Directly comparable in target customers, shift types, and specialism breadth.
• Total Assist Group: UK specialist medical recruitment agency supplying doctors, nurses and allied professionals to NHS trusts and private healthcare providers. Comparable in shift-based temporary placement of clinical staff.
• Medacs Healthcare: International healthcare staffing provider with a substantial UK operation placing doctors, nurses and allied health professionals. Comparable in supplying temporary clinical staff to NHS and private clients.
• Pulse Nursing: UK nursing agency and sister brand under Acacium Group, placing nurses across NHS trusts, private hospitals and community settings. Operates the same model and shares corporate infrastructure with Thornbury.
• Mayday Healthcare: UK nursing and healthcare agency providing temporary and permanent staff to NHS trusts, private hospitals and care homes. Comparable customer mix and specialism coverage.

Others

• Acacium Group: Parent company of Thornbury Nursing Services and a portfolio of UK/international healthcare staffing brands. Provides group infrastructure and shared services; relevant for corporate context rather than direct competition.

Broad incumbents

• Hays Healthcare: Large UK generalist recruiter with a healthcare division placing doctors, nurses and AHPs. Wider portfolio than Thornbury but overlaps in the temporary nursing placement space, particularly with NHS clients.
• Reed Specialist Recruitment: Major UK generalist recruitment firm with a healthcare arm placing into NHS and private settings. Comparable end-customers but offers nursing placement as part of a much broader staffing portfolio.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/thornburynurse
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@ThornburyNursingServices
• Facebookfacebook.com/ThornburyNursing
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/thornburynursingservices
• Instagraminstagram.com/thornbury_nursing

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Thornbury Nursing Services