Digital & Social Media Screening for Care Homes
Hermes Digital provides Digital & Social Media Screening for care homes, nursing homes, domiciliary care, supported living and adult social care providers in England. Public digital evidence can support safer recruitment, good-character assessment and Regulation 19 due diligence — as an additional check, not a statutory substitute.
From £29.99 + VAT per candidate · 6 social platforms · 13 behavioural risk categories · up to 10 years public content · web and news discovery · human analyst oversight · confidential report · 48-hour turnaround
Does CQC require social media screening in adult social care?
No. CQC does not specifically require social-media checks. Care Quality Commission (CQC) guidance on Regulation 19: Fit and proper persons employed requires providers to operate robust recruitment procedures and to assess good character. CQC also states that other checks the provider deems appropriate may be undertaken, and that a party other than the provider may carry out recruitment checks. Digital screening can form an additional, proportionate check within that process.
Source: Care Quality Commission (CQC), Regulation 19: Fit and proper persons employed. Hermes Digital is not endorsed by CQC.
Supporting Regulation 19 due diligence
Regulation 19 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 is titled Regulation 19: Fit and proper persons employed. It requires registered providers in England to employ fit and proper persons and to operate effective recruitment procedures. The quotations below are CQC’s wording from the published guidance. They do not mention social-media screening, and they do not endorse any commercial provider.
“When assessing whether an applicant is of good character, providers must have robust processes and make every effort to gather all available information to confirm that the person is of good character.”
“Other checks deemed appropriate by the providers may also be undertaken.”
“Recruitment and/or checks on candidates may be carried out by a party other than the provider.”
Digital screening does not replace DBS checks, references or other statutory recruitment requirements. It complements them. Passing a Hermes Digital screening does not establish fit and proper person status. Hermes Digital does not make the recruitment decision. The registered provider remains responsible for recruitment and suitability decisions, including assuring itself that any third-party checks are complete and satisfactory.
Read the CQC Regulation 19 guidance →Where digital screening fits
Safer recruitment in adult social care already combines several evidence sources. Hermes Digital sits beside those controls as supplementary public-digital evidence — not in place of them.
DBS
A Disclosure and Barring Service check is a statutory criminal-record check. Digital screening does not replace it and does not search the barred list.
References
Employment and character references remain a core safer-recruitment control. Digital screening adds public digital evidence; it does not stand in for referees.
Employment checks
Identity, right to work, qualifications, professional registration and employment history stay the provider’s responsibility under Regulation 19 and Schedule 3.
Digital screening
Hermes Digital reviews relevant publicly available digital information as an additional, proportionate check the provider may choose to commission.
What the service examines
Hermes Digital examines relevant publicly available digital information as additional evidence of suitability for a position of trust. This is the existing Digital & Social Media Screening service, read for safeguarding, good character and reputational risk in adult social care. Findings are assessed in context with human analyst oversight.
- Violence or threatening behaviour
- Abuse, harassment or intimidation
- Prejudice or discriminatory language
- Drug-related public content
- Sexually inappropriate public content
- Safeguarding concerns visible in public material
- Serious conduct concerns
- Material reputational risks for a regulated care setting
Digital & Social Media Screening
Price
From £29.99 + VAT per candidate
Platforms
6 social platforms
Risk model
13 behavioural risk categories
Lookback
Up to 10 years of public content
Discovery
Web and news discovery
Oversight
Human analyst oversight
Deliverable
Confidential report
Turnaround
48-hour delivery
Regular recruitment teams can arrange volume or retained screening. Enquire about a retained arrangement. Per-candidate checkout uses the same Digital & Social Media Screening packages as the main screening service.
Screening Packages
The same Digital & Social Media Screening service used across employment and safeguarding. Transparent pricing. No sales call. No contract. No minimum commitment.
Digital Screening Report
DTVRA (Lite)£29.99 + VAT per report
Shorter intelligence analyst commentary on your digital footprint.
- •1 subject
- •13 risk categories
- •6 platforms
- •Sentiment and image analysis
- •PDF report with a short written analysis
- •Delivered within 48 hours
Report + Professional Analysis
DTVRA (Full)£89.99 + VAT per report
In-depth professional analysis with bespoke risk advice and mitigation guidance.
- •Full automated screening report
- •Human analyst review of flagged risks
- •Bespoke risk advice and mitigation guidance
- •Reputational due diligence context
- •Delivered within 48 hours
Frequently Asked Questions
Does CQC require social media screening for care home staff?
No. The Care Quality Commission does not specifically require social-media checks. Care Quality Commission (CQC) guidance on Regulation 19: Fit and proper persons employed requires robust recruitment and good-character assessment, and states that “Other checks deemed appropriate by the providers may also be undertaken.” Digital screening is an optional additional check a provider may choose; it is not a CQC-mandated or statutory social-media requirement.
What does Regulation 19 say about good character?
CQC’s Regulation 19 guidance says: “When assessing whether an applicant is of good character, providers must have robust processes and make every effort to gather all available information to confirm that the person is of good character.” That duty sits on the registered provider. Hermes Digital can supply additional public digital evidence; it does not determine that a person is of good character or fit and proper.
What checks does Regulation 19 expect providers to make?
Regulation 19 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008 (Regulated Activities) Regulations 2014 requires providers to employ fit and proper persons, operate effective recruitment procedures, and keep the information specified in Schedule 3 (for example identity, DBS where required, references, employment history, and qualifications). CQC also states that other checks the provider deems appropriate may be undertaken. Social-media screening is not listed as a required check.
Does digital screening replace a DBS check?
No. Digital screening does not replace DBS checks, references, or other statutory recruitment requirements. It complements them by examining relevant publicly available digital information. The provider remains responsible for completing statutory checks and for the recruitment decision.
Can a third party carry out recruitment checks for a care provider?
Yes. CQC guidance states: “Recruitment and/or checks on candidates may be carried out by a party other than the provider.” The same guidance requires the provider to assure itself that checks are complete and satisfactory. Hermes Digital is an independent supplementary digital and social-media screening provider; the care organisation remains responsible for suitability decisions.
What does Hermes Digital examine for adult social care candidates?
Hermes Digital examines relevant publicly available digital information across 6 social platforms and 13 behavioural risk categories, plus web and news discovery, as additional evidence of suitability for a position of trust. Findings are assessed in context with human analyst oversight. We do not access private accounts or non-public messages.
Do you access private social media accounts?
No. Screening covers publicly available content only. Private accounts, closed groups, and non-public messages are outside the service. That limit is why digital screening complements — and never replaces — DBS, references, and interview-based judgement.
Does Hermes Digital decide whether someone is suitable to work in care?
No. Hermes Digital does not make the recruitment decision and does not establish fit and proper person status. The registered provider remains responsible for recruitment and suitability decisions. The report is additional evidence for the provider’s own process.
How far back does social media screening look?
The existing Digital & Social Media Screening service reviews up to 10 years of publicly available content. Findings are assessed in context; older material is not treated as automatically disqualifying.
How long does a care-home social media screening take?
Reports are delivered within 48 hours. Digital & Social Media Screening starts at £29.99 + VAT per candidate. This is the same service used for other employment and safeguarding use cases — not a separate product.
Can you screen existing care employees, not only new applicants?
Yes, as a one-off consented screening of a named individual. CQC expects providers to keep staff fitness under review; that is the provider’s ongoing duty. Hermes Digital does not offer continuous or automated monitoring of employees.
Do you offer volume screening for regular care recruitment?
Yes. Organisations recruiting regularly can arrange volume or retained screening on account. Pricing is bespoke to volume and scope. Contact Hermes Digital to discuss a retained arrangement; per-candidate checkout remains available from the published prices.
Which organisations is this for?
Care homes, nursing homes, domiciliary care, supported living, care agencies, adult social care providers, and HR or recruitment teams hiring into positions of trust involving vulnerable adults in England. The service supports safer recruitment, good-character assessment, and Regulation 19 due diligence; it is not a CQC-endorsed product.
Related screening
Digital & Social Media Screening
The core service this care-sector page uses — 6 platforms, 13 risk categories, from £29.99 + VAT.
Employment, HR & Safeguarding
Pre-employment screening for regulated and public-facing roles more broadly.
Education & Academia
Screening where institutional trust and safeguarding of vulnerable people are also in play.
Last updated October 2026