Do care staff need a DBS check every three years?

Do care staff need a new DBS check every three years?

Short answer

No law says three years. A DBS certificate has no expiry date; it is accurate only on the day it was issued. CQC expects you to decide how often to re-check, write it down and stick to it. Three years became the common choice, and the DBS Update Service now lets you check a person's status at any time instead. Whatever you choose, the risk is a check that quietly lapses.

What the certificate actually tells you

An enhanced DBS certificate with a check of the adults' barred list tells you what was on record about that person on one particular day. The next morning it is already history. That is why there is no expiry printed on it, and why the DBS itself says it is for the employer to decide when to re-check.

Where "every three years" came from

It is a convention, not a rule. Before the Update Service existed, providers needed some interval, and three years was long enough to be affordable and short enough to be defensible. Many commissioning contracts and insurers wrote it in, which is why it now feels like law. If your contracts require it, you must follow it. If they do not, it is your policy to set.

What CQC expects to see

Regulation 19 and Schedule 3 require that everyone in a regulated activity is fit for it and that you hold the evidence, including the DBS check, before they start. Inspectors then ask a simpler question: how do you know that is still true? A written re-check policy, a record of the certificate number and date for every person, and something that flags when a re-check is due is a complete answer.

The Update Service

If a member of staff registers their certificate with the DBS Update Service within 30 days of it being issued, you can check its status online at any time, with their consent, and see whether anything has changed. Many providers now use it instead of a fixed re-check, or alongside a longer interval. It also lets you accept a certificate from a previous employer, provided it is the same level and workforce and you run the status check.

Making sure nothing lapses

The failure that actually happens is not choosing the wrong interval; it is a check that falls due and nobody notices. In Exhale HR every DBS carries a due date set from your policy, the system counts down to it and puts the ones needing attention in front of you a month ahead. The same goes for right to work, driving licences and training certificates. Evidencing training for an inspection uses the same idea.

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Straight answers

Only if the person is on the Update Service, the certificate is the right level and workforce for the role, and you run a status check. Otherwise apply for a new one.

Enhanced, with a check of the adults' barred list, for anyone in regulated activity with adults. Some roles also need the children's barred list. Your umbrella body or the DBS eligibility guidance will confirm for a specific role.

Keep the certificate number, the date of issue, the level and the outcome of your assessment. The DBS code of practice says you should not hold copies of certificates for longer than six months.

Do care staff need a new DBS check every three years?

What the certificate actually tells you

Where "every three years" came from

What CQC expects to see

The Update Service

Making sure nothing lapses

See it working on your own rota

Straight answers

Related guides

How to evidence staff training for a CQC inspection

How long do you have to keep care records in the UK?

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