Home Care Sector

Ken Deary, managing director of Right at Home UK, says would-be franchisees should take a closer look at this growing market

Home care is currently one of the UK’s fastest growing franchise sectors. We have largely got the baby boom generation to thank for this.

As they approach their golden years, our population is ageing at an unprecedented rate. By 2035 the number of over-65s living in the UK will have risen by 48 per cent and the number of over-75s is projected at a huge 76 per cent. This changing demographic has led to a high demand for senior care services.

Fiercely independent

Today’s older generations are also protective of their independence - they want to remain active and living at home for as long as possible and be able to maintain their own daily routines, even when age or health issues create potential barriers to this.

So whereas home care services used to be most often funded by social services and aimed at very elderly and infirm people with a substantial level of need, we now also see growing demand for companionship and a lighter level of support that addresses what people would like, as well as what they need, and enables them to retain or regain their lifestyle choices.

Stigma about needing a helping hand disappears if the client receives a discrete service from carefully matched care givers, while introducing some support sooner rather than later reduces the risk of crisis situations arising, which may force a stay in hospital or residential care.

This is why a growing number of self funded seniors are turning to quality care providers such as Right at Home, who operate mainly in the private market.

We receive referrals from the NHS and other community health care professionals and deliver care to clients who choose to manage their own budget from the local authority. However, referrals also come from a wide range of sources within the local community, as well as word of mouth.

Reputation for quality

How does Right at Home differentiate itself in this emerging market? Experience and a reputation for quality are key, but we also deliver person centred care that focuses on the customer’s individual needs and choices.

Trust is an important factor in choosing a company to come into your home or care for your loved ones, so experience counts for a lot. In the UK, we have won awards for both our customer care and franchise model, while internationally we’re backed by a market leading global franchise with 20 years of trading history and more than 500 offices worldwide.

But primarily we set out to capture this market by creating positive outcomes for the people who matter most - our clients.

The priority for most people when they are getting older or living with disabilities or dementia is to either preserve their quality of life or improve it. We make this our priority too and go far beyond the traditional model of care at home, which was task driven and often delivered in a way that gave the client very little input.

Now people have the option of choosing a service that is highly personalised, where consistent care givers follow a plan that is built around their individual choices and routines and focus on supporting them to get what they want to out of life.

Our goal is to ‘Make a Difference Every Day’ and the commitment throughout Right at Home is to deliver top quality services - both to our franchisees, in terms of the support we give in all areas of running their business, and to their clients, for who the care teams pride themselves on going above and beyond expectations.

Franchisee support

And while interest in this emerging sector is high, our expansion will always remain measured, so that new owners benefit from a high support ratio and are never made to feel like just another office number.

We have an excellent franchisee/ support team ratio and a wealth of experience among the head office team, which means we can train, advise and mentor franchisees in every aspect of their businesses, depending upon where support is needed.

Maintaining a highly engaged UK network is another priority, as we understand the support franchisees offer one another can be as beneficial as that which they receive from their franchisor.

Our owners talk to one another, work together and collaborate with the business performance team. Sharing best practice is one of the key benefits of franchising and we also want to encourage our franchisees to innovate and get involved as we break new ground in the way we support families with top quality home care and support services. Our dementia care programme, which will be fully launched later this year, is a great example of this.

Finally, we place a high value on recruiting the right people into the network. Ours is a management franchise model that offers a great return on investment and long-term profitability, but to be successful our owners need to be driven by more than just money. We look for people who have a strong motivation to be the best and want to have a positive impact on their local communities.

This strategy is proving very successful. Right at Home UK recently signed its 40th franchisee after securing a five star franchise accreditation and outstanding franchisee satisfaction scores for the third year running.

Subject to registration waiting times, we expect to have three new franchise offices trading this autumn in Eastbourne, Mid-Sussex and the Vale of Glamorgan. We have also recently signed three new franchisees, who will occupy territories in Bromley and Orpington, Reigate and Crawley, and Mitcham, Streatham and Dulwich.

Each of the new franchisees has completed a rigorous recruitment process that is designed to make sure they are well suited to the Right at Home business model and brand. They have undergone a number of in-depth interviews, completed independent validation with their choice of trading franchisees and presented the findings of their detailed research and due diligence to the Right at Home board of directors, demonstrating their understanding of the local marketplace.

During the recruitment process, each of them has risen to the challenge we set them to make 100 per cent sure Right at Home is the best possible fit for their values and aspirations.

We are looking forward to supporting them to set up and establish their businesses by continuing to go the extra mile for them, just as they will do for their clients.