Starting a Domiciliary Care Agency

The UK domiciliary care agency sector has grown rapidly over the last ten years. The contracting out of services which were previously run in house by local authorities has provided a real boom in the sector.

With an ageing population, requiring more complex care, and more frequently in the home setting, there is without doubt still room for growth. There are challenges being faced by the sector, but there is still room for well run agencies, offering quality care, in the market place.

Indeed with more and more service users controlling their own budgets there is scope for more personalised and niche care which can often be provided for by small to medium domiciliary care agencies.

The number of elderly people in the UK is growing rapidly. This is set to continue and is going to present major challenges. When you add in that people are also living longer and with more complex conditions you can see the potential impact of what lies ahead.

The numbers of older people using non-residential care will double from around 1.5 million to 3 million in the next 20 or so years. Whether the state pays or the service user pays themselves, these people will need the services of domiciliary care agencies.

There are few businesses that can predict with a high degree of certainty such an increase in demand over such a long period of time. But do not be fooled by this!

Running a domiciliary care agency is not easy. Recruitment problems are common. Turnover of staff is high. Up to 30 per cent of staff at an agency will change in any given year in some areas. This is costly for the agency owner.

There are also regulatory and legislative considerations which are, understandably, demanding.

If you can overcome the obstacles that lie in wait this is undoubtedly a very real business proposition worth serious consideration. But it does take a good deal of motivation and resilience to get up and running. Do it, and do it well, and the rewards, both in terms of profit and in terms of job satisfaction, can be significant.

Setting up a domiciliary care agency is a daunting task. Before you decide to go ahead it is wise to spend some time researching the idea. For the first time we've brought together all of the information you require to make your mind up about this unique business prospect. To find out more, and how to purchase our low cost Introductory Guide to Starting a Domiciliary Care Agency visit thecarebusiness.com thecarebusiness.com