For those who have an entrepreneurial spirit and want to give back to your community and make a difference at the same time, then starting a home care business is the perfect opportunity. It is one of the most rewarding endeavours out there and it is also a highly sustainable business model with demand for such services rising each year.
If you’re in the process of considering your options, you’ve come to the right place. That’s because in this article we explore the ins and outs of senior care franchises and how to open a care agency. Ready to find out more? Let’s take a closer look.
Table of contents:
What does a senior care business do?
If you would like to open a domiciliary care agency in the UK, you should be aware of the wide variety of services that these care agencies offer. Examples of these services include:
- In-home care: with the demand for this service rising in popularity, in-home care means bringing your care service to your clients’ homes. Examples of things you can help them out within their homes include running errands, performing household chores, providing certain health services and others.
- Day programmes: day programmes are perfect for those who require more flexibility when looking after their elderly loved ones. The client is dropped off at a centre in the morning and is collected in the evening, ensuring that they’re looked after while they are at work or running errands.
- Independent-living facilities: these facilities can be considered as something akin to community living where seniors live independently. However, to ensure that they are as safe as possible and in the event of emergencies, there are usually medical facilities nearby.
- Assisted-living facilities: these facilities often provide personal care staff and basic health services. This option can be considered either a temporary or long-term arrangement and it is usually used by elderly individuals who may need some assistance with their care routines. It is considered the middle ground between total independence and round-the-clock care.
- Nursing homes: these facilities offer constant care to seniors, including with the aid of nurses, aides and cleaning staff. There may also be social workers, therapists and other services on-site or on-call, as needed.
- Specialised elderly care: this type of care is an excellent option for seniors who struggle with progressive or degenerative conditions. Such services are specialised and are tailored to fit around the needs of the senior in question.
Is a home care service a good business to start?
There is major and rising demand for home care services across the UK, with the industry estimated to be worth around £12 billion per year. Presently, nearly one million UK residents receive home care services. However, around four million seniors have a limiting long-term illness or disability. This number is expected to rise to over six million by 2030, resulting in there being great demand for such services.
What to consider when starting a senior care franchise
Starting your own home care business is a great idea. But what if you could start your own business with a massive level of support and training to help you get up and running? This is possible and it all starts with buying a senior care franchise. If you opt for a home care franchise opportunity, there are a few things you should consider before you get started. These include but are not limited to:
- Brand recognition
- Training and support
- A proven business model
- A collaborative network
How to open a senior care business
If you are ready for this new journey and you are wondering how to start a home care business, we outline several important steps that you should take before you get started.
1. Research the market
Studying the industry as a whole as well as your competitors are essential elements to getting a deeper understanding of the market. It’s a way to determine whether the opportunity is worthwhile and whether it is supported by high demand.
2. Choose a business structure
Secondly, you need to choose your business structure. Of course, you can go at it alone as a start-up but there is a better and more secure option – franchising. Franchising gives you all the benefits of business ownership while getting extensive support from the franchisor and franchisee network to help you establish yourself.
3. Create a business plan
Next up, it is time to create your business plan. This is the “road map” that you will use to approach lenders to finance your franchise opportunity. Lenders will look at all the elements of your business plan including your goals, target market, services, marketing plans and strategies, financial projections and management structure.
4. Obtain licences and certifications
In order to start a home care agency in the UK, you need to get approval from the Care Quality Commission (CQC). In addition, you need a dedicated manager with specific qualifications to manage your staff, clients and workload. That’s one of the benefits of starting a home care franchise – you don’t need special qualifications and another person can and will essentially run the business for you.
5. Hire and train staff
Depending on your franchisor’s business model and the type of support you will get, you will also need to hire caregivers. Your franchisor should be able to guide you through this process and in some cases, even provide the training necessary to help them provide excellent care while following safety procedures.
6. Launch and market your business
Once all the building blocks have been laid down, it’s time to launch your business and then continue to market it so that it thrives. You can use different channels to market your home care franchise business while ensuring that you are fully compliant with the franchisor’s brand guidelines and marketing requirements.
Home care franchise opportunities
To help get you started on the road to running your very own home care agency through franchising, below we offer some fantastic home care franchise opportunities as you begin your research process:
In conclusion
Being in business for yourself but not by yourself in the home care space is possibly one of the most rewarding things you can do. Teaming up with a reputable home care franchisor is your ultimate step in ensuring that you get full support to help your business thrive. If you need any assistance regarding which franchise opportunity is right for you or you’d like to look at the different options you have available, simply get in touch with us and our experienced and friendly team will be more than happy to assist you.
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