Home comforts: How to start your own care-at-home franchise

An introduction to the industry and analysis of some of the stars of the home care world

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The pandemic brought out the best in a lot of people. Checking in on neighbours or a local elderly person on a daily basis and looking out for the most vulnerable people became part of our routines. Perhaps you even found a new side to yourself? 

For some, this time was spent reassessing their lives and careers and finally, taking that step toward business ownership. Given the caring sentiment of the time, many turned towards businesses that helped others. And what better way than home care, which lets people continue to live their life on their own terms – an incredible gift to give someone. Franchisees can run a successful business with the job satisfaction of knowing they are changing lives in the process. Even just helping with domestic tasks on a daily basis can make a big difference in someone’s life.

With retirement ages constantly increasing and an ageing UK population – according to Age UK, over 12 million over 65s call the UK home – the care sector (and the healthcare sector as a whole) is set to grow and grow. This is a perfect time to look for a franchise opportunity and start offering professional support to elderly clients. 

What are the different types of care franchises?

There are four main types of care franchises that you can choose from, and these include:

· Medical home care:  Your day-to-day will see you take on a management role, coordinating a team of medical professionals while you work from home or an office handling admin and making your carers’ job easier. 

· Non-medical home care: A non-medical franchise will provide caregiving services including companion care, palliative care and a general domiciliary care service, providing assistance with everyday tasks so clients can keep living in their own homes as long as possible. 

· Home care management: This offers franchisees a dual role. Yes, they will be responsible for the growth and administration of the business as a whole, but franchisees will also be able to get hands-on supporting clients directly.

· Healthcare recruitment: This is a great way to support the care industry without running your own care company. As the name suggests, healthcare recruitment franchises focus on finding the best possible candidates and creating an outstanding team of compassionate people for new industry roles, be it care workers or support staff.

Why home care? 

For franchise owners, working in clients’ homes both bring down expenses significantly and bring increased variety to the day-to-day routine. 

For clients, the huge draw is that they don’t have to go into residential care. Warranted or not, care homes have a stigma around them and home care gives carers and clients plenty of one-to-one time to bond and accommodate individual needs. Why shouldn’t people want to spend their golden years where they feel most at home? Their home. 

How do I start a home care franchise?

Previous care experience is not a necessity to start your own home care business. All you need is a driving license. You can either run things as a manager or undergo comprehensive training to get hands-on and provide personal care. This is where being part of a franchise comes in handy. 

As an independent operator, training can be expensive and challenging but franchisees will receive proven training and be provided with a support system of people who have years of experience in the industry as part of the franchise package. Particularly in the care sector where people’s health and wellbeing are at stake, it pays to have trusted people around you. Franchisees also have an easier time getting their credentials accredited by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) as franchisors provide a model for quality of care, that when done right, is proven to receive an ‘outstanding’ rating. 

As well as their own head office staff, the lure and profile of a franchised name will draw in the best staff across the care industry. Clients (and their families) also appreciate the security of a name with an excellent reputation that they can trust to look after them and provide them with a high quality of life.

Read more: Future-proof franchises in the care & elderly services sector

 

Recruitment and retention of care staff

Care work requires a significant emotional investment from staff, with the post-pandemic ‘great resignation’, some care businesses are facing issues finding and keeping the best staff. This is less of an issue for franchised brands. Most franchise brands pay carers higher wages, have better support networks and offer a greater opportunity for progression than independent services. When staff feel supported, they stick around. 

Elderly care is more than just care-at-home services

There are plenty of ways to cater to the growing ageing population and the healthcare sector without directly providing care-at-home services. 

For instance, Support Solutions is the brainchild of Catherine McClure who has been campaigning for improvements in the care sector for 20 years. Founding her own office for just £3,000, Support Solutions is a low-cost franchise that offers franchisees an opportunity focused around recruiting dedicated people determined to make a difference to people via the care industry.

Another example is Seniors Helping Seniors. As the name suggests, its model sees franchisees employ those often driven away from the workforce due to age to care for those who are less independent. With 24 years of operation to draw from, this is a model that works and is recognised by the Care Quality Commission. 

Tackling the ageing population via retail is Ableworld, the largest mobility vendor in the UK and the only British Franchise Association member in its sector. Ableworld’s business focuses on in-store sales and in-home installations and maintenance of stairlifts.

5 OF THE BEST CARE-AT-HOME FRANCHISES FOR SALE IN THE UK

1. Right At Home

With 60-plus franchisees, Right at Home is one of the biggest names in in-home care. It is one of the most supportive too, with its franchisees giving it a five-star rating for satisfaction eight years in a row. 

The Right at Home franchise model is all about keeping clients connected to the local community. Franchise recruitment manager, Kate Dilworth, explains: “We want our clients to lead active, fulfilled lives; to have fun and to do the things they enjoy – and if those activities and avenues of support are not readily available in their local area, then we will look to create them.” These opportunities have taken the form of lunch clubs, exercise classes, support groups and more. 

Day-to-day life as a Right at Home franchisee mainly manifests as working in your own local office, working to ensure that teams of care workers can provide quality care to the community. This is a management franchise but you will also, however, get the chance to be hands-on, visiting regular clients and talking directly to them, learning how to improve the care provided. 

For a minimum investment of £40,000, franchisees will be given an exclusive territory to operate in along with enrolment in its ‘RightStart’ programme, a two-week training course that will cover every aspect of running your own business, from marketing and financials to recruiting and retaining the best possible care team. 

Although care is not about the money, franchisees can expect to be rewarded for good practice with a projected revenue after two years of £400,000.

2. Visiting Angels

Established in the USA in 1998, Visiting Angels also has prestige on this side of the Atlantic with 600 franchises across five countries. 

Visiting Angels aims to put the carer first in everything it does, with the belief that this is what helps them go the extra mile for service users. Loyalty bonuses, free car services and a guaranteed pay increase every year are just some of the ways the franchise supports its ‘angels’. This treatment of staff is famous throughout the industry and allows Visiting Angels to attract the best people for every position and provide the best care visits for its client base.

New franchisees will spend a week at the head office in Philadelphia, where Visiting Angels got its wings, before a second week of prep back in the UK. This will see you brush up on your business skills and familiarise yourself with the UK care sector. Of course, even after opening your franchise, the door for support is never closed with the first 12 weeks of business following the ‘JumpStart’ training programme. With hard work and the right guidance, this franchise package can be reasonably expected to deliver a third-year turnover of £1m. 

3. Walfinch

Offering a range of services covering both visiting and live-in care, Walfinch is trusted to care not only for the elderly but also to provide an exceptional care service to people living with a learning disability, physical disabilities, stroke rehabilitation, injury and with convalescent care. As well as supporting those who need it most and making a real difference in the community, this provides a wide range of income streams to franchisees.

Walfinch is committed to providing the highest quality of care, something which CEO Amrit Dhaliwal has an easy measure for. He says: “When deciding what care is best, how it should be delivered and who should deliver it, we always ask ourselves: ‘Would I like this for my own mum?’”

Asked to describe the Walfinch business model Amrit says: “We deliver visiting and live-in care, with minimum one-hour visits, pay our carers well and offer them careers – because happy carers deliver quality care and stay with us.”

With franchise packages starting at £35,000-plus VAT, Walfinch franchisees gain access to a wide support network, exclusive territory, training, lead referrals (meaning you can win business from day one) and access to quality customer management systems. 

With 60 per cent of franchisees achieving a £290,000 turnover in their first year, this is a great quick route to a lucrative business with the potential to grow and grow.  As a management franchise, investors can choose to dedicate themselves to one particular territory or establish a multi-unit model, both have proven track records of success for franchisees. 

4. Bridgewater Home Care

A new prospect in the world of home care franchising, in the North-West, the Bridgewater has an enviable reputation for excellent care. Bridgewater Home Care currently has just four UK offices (Bolton, Warrington, Wigan and Halton) but after delivering industry-leading care since 2010, it is now ready to take the UK by storm with an exciting opportunity to franchise in one (or more) of 200 available locations.

Founded by Phil Eckersley in Bolton after struggling with finding care for his own family, Phil has built a business now ranked by homecare.co.uk as a ‘UK top 20 home care provider’. Bridgewater is built on three simple principles – quality, reliability and trust.

As a UK specialist, Bridgewater Home Care knows the industry and can react to trends and changes quicker than international brands. For a special price of £17,500 available as part of its ‘pioneer programme’, franchisees will receive comprehensive support and develop a bespoke business plan one-to-one with the founder. 

You don’t need any previous experience to become a Bridgewater Home Care franchisee but you will have to embody the ethos of the brand and be committed to delivering the highest quality care.

5. Blossom Home Care

Specialising in delivering care to “rural areas and farming communities”, Blossom offers care visits and live-in carers for the elderly and adults with complex care requirements both privately and as part of the NHS. 

Founded in 2015 by John and practising nurse Fiona Leggott, Blossom’s USP is simple – its care visits are all at least 50 minutes, compared to the industry standard of 15. Blossom’s belief is that not only is this good for clients, but it is also great for franchisees. Fewer visits mean fewer staff, less administration and fewer complications. 

Franchisees that have found the most success with Blossom don’t need to have care experience, in fact, they have often been young enthusiastic newcomers to the industry. For a £35,000 minimum investment, franchisees will receive the rights to a respected brand name in an exclusive territory. Blossom’s territories are large swathes of the country capable of supporting three Blossom offices, giving you plenty of scope to expand when ready. 

How to choose the right care franchise for you

Having seen some of the leading lights of the care market, hopefully, you have made up your mind about entering this sector. As always, when making a business decision, think with your head and not just your heart. Of course, compassion is a brilliant trait to have in the care industry but your franchise will also be a business. Not every day will be spent with clients seeing the benefits home care provides. A care franchise is a long-term investment offering great financial stability and job satisfaction but people will be depending on you; could you picture yourself running and expanding this business for years? 

With the structure of the UK population, the care industry is only going to go in one direction. There are many care franchisors but you have to find the right one for yourself and what you want your involvement to look like on a daily basis. If you’re not sure what form your franchise should take, read this article where we discuss the four different types of care franchises in more depth and how to choose the right one for you. 

This is what you need to know before you start an elderly care franchise

What Franchise boasts a range of exciting senior and elderly care franchise opportunities. Whether you’re looking for the next big care-at-home franchise to invest in or would like to own your own care recruitment franchise concept, click here to view all of our latest investment opportunities.