About us.

About Sanctuary Personnel
About Us Sanctuary Personnel

Our story

We are a market-leading health and social care recruitment company. Employing over 200 people from our Ipswich head office, we are proud to be one of the region’s most successful businesses and currently feature as 11th in the Suffolk Top 100 companies (Grant Thornton Suffolk Limited 100, 2022).

At Sanctuary, we believe that if you’re going to have a story to share, it needs to make an impact. That’s why our story is one of growth, inspiration and courage.

While the rest of the recruitment sector has largely remained static, we continue to innovate, and it’s been an incredible journey!

Interested in working internally? Find out more.

Our milestones

Take a look back at our achievements over the years.

2021

Sanctuary launches Resource Stream, a new way of recruiting health and social care staff by bringing employers and candidates closer together. Sanctuary employees volunteer their time and raise over £12k for charity.

2020

CEO James Rook joins Process C-19, a not-for-profit supporting the NHS with rapid deployment of services during the pandemic. Sanctuary exclusively recruits nurses for the NHSBT plasma programme, as well as COVID-19 vaccinators for NHS Trusts.

2019

Innovate Services launches, a social work-led managed service that works collaboratively with local authority children’s services. Sanctuary rebrands and launches its new website bringing all services under one online roof.

2018

Sanctuary International launches with a wraparound pastoral relocation support service to help health & social care professionals relocate to the UK.

2017

James Rook, Sanctuary’s CEO, is appointed as Chair of The Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC) Health and Social Care Sector Group.

2016

Sanctuary Health is awarded a place on the NHS National Clinical Framework to supply healthcare professionals across England and Wales.

2015

A sub-division within its own right, Sanctuary Health is launched to cover the full spectrum of healthcare recruitment needs for clients.

2014

Sanctuary wins 'Best Large Business' at the Anglian Business Awards and ‘Recruitment Agency of the Year’ at the Recruiter Awards.

2012

Sanctuary sets up specialist teams exclusively focused on recruiting mental health and criminal justice professionals working in secure settings.

2011

Taking the role of headline sponsor of the Social Worker of the Year Awards, Sanctuary supports the charity which celebrates social work.

2010

To meet the specialist demand for resourcing senior executives within the social care sector, Sanctuary Executive is launched.

2006

Sanctuary Personnel is formed on 20 October 2006 by experienced social care specialists looking to improve recruitment standards.

What we stand for

These are our core beliefs shared by everyone at Sanctuary Personnel. Values we advocate for, and that underpin our business at every turn.

Innovation at Sanctuary Personnel

People

We show respect with open communication. We listen to each other and encourage growth and development through training and the sharing of knowledge.

integrity at sanctuary personnel

Integrity

We take pride in honesty, ethics and fairness. We continuously strive to conduct our business with the highest standards of professionalism.

Innovation at Sanctuary Personnel

Innovation

We value the creativity of our employees. We invest in and promote the advancement of ideas, knowledge and technology throughout the company.

excellence at sanctuary personnel

Excellence

We commit to the highest standard in customer service. Through continuous improvement we aim to exceed the expectations of our stakeholders and clients.

We share one vision. To provide a brighter future for our employees, contractors, clients and the vulnerable people we support.

Innovation, Diversity and Responsibility at Sanctuary Personnel

Placing people first

As a candidate, you’ll always be more than a number to us. You are there for people when they are at their most vulnerable. So we feel it’s our duty to find you a role that’s just the right fit. It’s simple; we care because you do.

Innovation

We advocate for what is possible and do not accept the constraints within the recruitment sector.

Forged from an in-depth understanding, we constantly design innovative services for our clients that enable them to become more efficient, save money and provide better services to the vulnerable people they support.

Celebrating diversity

We celebrate, respect and find value in the difference between people. We promote an environment that welcomes and appreciates diverse backgrounds, skills, thinking and experience.

All our employees are supported to think innovatively, whether they are an apprentice on their very first day or a senior manager.

Responsibility

Although ‘recruitment’ is what we ‘do,’ there are other things we care about too. Our employees want to make a positive contribution, which means doing everything we can to support this. We encourage fundraising and are delighted to say that our efforts enable many charities to continue their phenomenal work. Being mindful of how we interact with our suppliers and treat one another is also part of our culture.

Awards & accreditations

Excellence does not come as standard within our sector. It takes continuous commitment to do things differently. This very approach has seen us win and be shortlisted for the awards that celebrate excellence in business and recruitment.

ISO 9001
ISO 14001
ISO 27001
ISO 45001
REC Corporate Member
Disability Confident Employer
Investors In People
Cyber Essentials Certified

Our proudest achievements

Global Recruiter Awards

2022

Public/Third Sector Recruitment Agency of the Year

Sanctuary Personnel's first time entering the British Recruitment Awards and we are named Public/Third Sector Recruitment Agency of the Year. The judging panel commented “Hiring great people is key to building a thriving organisation and we’re immensely proud to recognise the inspirational teams and individuals that are working hard to make this happen day-in, day-out."
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Lloyds Bank National Business Awards

2021

Highly Commended as Best Large Recruitment Business

The first time entering the highly regarded Global Recruiter Awards and Sanctuary receives two Highly Commended Awards; one for Best Large Recruitment Business and another for Best Client Service. The judges noted that Sanctuary “is an impressive business, that carefully measures impact for clients and candidates as well as giving back to the health sector at every opportunity.”
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Recruiter Awards 2020

2020

Positive Social Impact at Lloyds Bank National Business Awards

Sanctuary receives the country’s top award for businesses taking an ethical approach to private-sector partnership by scooping the Positive Social Impact award at the Lloyds Bank National Business Awards. The award win recognises how Sanctuary has evolved its services to go way beyond what would usually be expected of a recruitment partner to make a positive contribution to society.
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Suffolk Business Awards

2020

Best Client Service at the Recruiter Awards

Sanctuary, once again, flies the flag for excellent health & social care recruitment by picking up a national award for Best Client Service at the highly acclaimed Recruiter Awards. The judging panel comments that “Sanctuary stands out as a winner in this category for follow through to impact, providing great, solid customer service.”
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Recruiter Awards 2019

2019

Best Public/Third Sector Agency

Being awarded Best Public/Third Sector Agency for a third time at the Recruiter Awards, Sanctuary receives the UK’s most coveted national accolade for health and social care recruitment. In a special mention, the judges note that “Sanctuary genuinely cares about the public sector and delivers an innovative approach to hard-to-fix situations.”
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