domiciliary care agency business plan examples uk

DOMICILIARY CARE BUSINESS PLAN: Template & All You Need

• by Kenechukwu Muoghalu
• August 14, 2023
• No comments
• 8 minute read

Table of Contents Hide

What is a domiciliary care business , what services do domiciliary care offer, what is a domiciliary care business plan, #1. executive summary, #2. company overview, #3. market analysis, #4. management team , #5. services description , #6. marketing plan, #7. operational plan, #8. financial projections, #9. appendix, how do i get clients for domiciliary care uk, what are the advantages and disadvantages of domiciliary care, what are the mandatory training for domiciliary care workers, how long does it take to train to be a carer, is the care certificate mandatory, how long is care training, need help writing your domiciliary care business plan, final thoughts, what is an example of domiciliary care, what qualifications do i need to open a care agency, how does a care agency make money.

The domiciliary care industry is valued at £7.7bn in the UK, which signifies that it is a stable and secure business to invest in, but not in the absence of a plan. A business plan sets the groundwork for the growth of your business, so for your UK domiciliary care business to run successfully, you will need a plan. To this effect, we have created a guide that would carefully explain the basics of your home care business while directing you on how you can create a plan for yourself. We also made provisions for a ready-made UK Domiciliary Care business plan that comes in the form of a PDF and a Doc format. In any case, you don’t want to go through the stress of creating a new one. 

Without further ado, let’s look at what we have in stock for you. 

The term “domiciliary” originated from the Latin word “Domus,” which means “home”. Domiciliary care, sometimes known as home care, involves an individual or agencies that provide daily assistance for those who need help in their home. These paid professionals specialise in assisting the elderly and disabled to help keep them living independently in their houses. 

They are mainly hired by relatives of the house owner or the local authorities. Domiciliary care business does not just provide help to some vulnerable people, this business also potentially generates lucrative returns.

As a home caregiver, you should be able to handle some day-to-day living services and certain health care issues. Your services might also differ depending on what your client needs and the kind of agreement of services you have signed during your contract. Some of the common services you can offer include:

• Household chores
• Dietary needs
• Personal and continence care
• Companionship 
• Errands that include doctor visits
• Support with advice and information 
• Medication management 

A domiciliary care business plan has multiple functions which range from helping you run your business in the right way to helping you secure some form of finance to make your dreams a reality. A domiciliary care business plan is a plan, a blueprint or roadmap on paper that serves as a guide to attain growth in your business. 

Creating a business plan all depends on how best your resources can handle your business. If you want to run your business based on your personal savings, then you need a simple UK domiciliary care business plan that will just help you stay on track. However, if you are seeking investors or lenders, you need to create a more comprehensive plan. 

How do I Write a Business Plan for Domiciliary Care?

Having read all of this, it’s now time to create your UK domiciliary care business plan but before we proceed, you should know that

creating a business plan requires some form of pattern to follow, either constructing it in a PDF or doc format. With this template below, you will get a hang of it. Let’s look at what should be included in your plan. 

The executive summary is basically the overview of your whole business plan. It should contain other sub-sections of your domiciliary care business plan including financial projections, marketing plans, organisational structure and market research among others. This section is usually the first to appear but the last to construct. 

Most readers will glance through this section to get the information they need to know about the business, instead of reading the whole business plan. So while creating your executive summary, it should be brief, clear and concise. 

Your company overview should contain an in-depth analysis of the vision you have for your domiciliary care business. You can also talk about your mission statement and where you wish your business to be in the nearest future. How about your company’s history? You can add that too if you are already an existing business. Include your strengths, weaknesses, threats and opportunities and tell your reader how you plan to tackle each of them. 

Before you construct this section of your market analysis , you need to have a thorough study of your domiciliary care industry. During your market research, you should focus on important points like your ideal target audience, their demographic data, what services they might like more, your market value, and a host of other viable information. When you have a solid understanding of the market and industry you are working in, then you can effectively write this section. 

Just as the name implies, your management or organizational team and the structure of your organisation shouldn’t be left out in your business plan. Starting domiciliary care will involve you employing staff that will help the growth of the company. This is where you identify who your carers are and their different skills. You should also introduce yourself as the head of the organisation. 

What kind of services do you offer in your domiciliary care business? You will need to answer that question under your service description. You can either offer a broad range of services or settle in a particular niche. If possible, you can list all of them and be specific about the ones you offer. 

Your sales and marketing plan should cover the strategies you plan on employing on your business. It should include the plans you have to create awareness for your brand and attract new clients while keeping the existing clients satisfied. Tell your readers the marketing campaigns you will use to carry out the function. Will you create an online presence or use a manual form of marketing which includes creating fliers, magazines and the likes? You can also include the personnel that will be handling the section.

All the plans and activities you have been making from the very first beginning of this article, how will you implement them? This is what you are going to explain in this section of your operational plan. What are the channels, policies, procedures and systems you will use to implement those plans and also ensure that nothing goes wrong? All this information should not be left out. 

Your financial projection is one of the most essential pieces of information that requires a clear and definite analysis. If you do not know how to go about it, you should see an advisor or reach out to us here for professional work. In this section, you should include an overview of your finances over the short, medium, and long-term basis. You should also include a balance sheet, cash flow statement, and income statement. If you are also requesting financial aid, then this is your time to make the move. 

In this section, make sure to attach all valid documents that would validate your plan and the data you have given above. 

If you are always stuck with creating marketing campaigns and not getting a positive response from your potential clients, then you need to try other effective ways. There are some steps you can take to get clients for your domiciliary care business and they include:

• Opening a website
• Using a referral strategy
• Increase your online presence by using social media
• Create leaflets or fliers

Running a domiciliary care business comes with both positive and negative effects that might not always be avoided. On the positive part, a domiciliary care business can help you maintain independence, flexibility, financial benefits and companionship among others. 

While the disadvantage is that, it is always harder to manage and build up trust with different people that come and go each time. Another disadvantage is that most times, you will be left with offering more of your services outside the agreed time and contract you had with your partner. As a caregiver, your number one priority is to offer help irrespective of the situation. 

The mandatory training for domiciliary care workers is not limited to the following:

• Health and Safety
• Fire safety 
• Safeguarding adults
• Infection, prevention and control
• Manual handling
• Food hygiene
• Human rights

As a caregiver, you can train for either a long or short period depending on the level of knowledge and skill you wish to acquire. Having this training always leaves a good impact on your side. 

Yes, a care certificate is mandatory for any care worker. A care certificate is a group of standards that caregivers need to adhere to when offering their services. This certificate is mainly to ensure that all UK’s non-regulated workforce of caregivers has the same skills and knowledge to provide high-quality care to their clients. 

Care training can last up to 12 weeks and approximately a year. This time duration can either be reduced or increased depending on the number of hours you work and your previous education and experience. 

Writing a business plan might not be as easy as it seems but because of the importance of having a business plan, you need to make provisions for it, irrespective of its daunting nature.

If you find yourself in this tight situation, it’s better to opt-in for a professional pre-made domiciliary care business plan , which can also be accessed in a PDF or doc format. 

Over the years, businessyield consult has solely invested its time and efforts into creating professional business plans for entrepreneurs. We have so far helped millions of businesses stand on their feet, and we are happy to help you too. Get hold of your business plan here and watch your home care grow.

I know that handling a domiciliary care business might not pose as a big deal, but there is always a difference when you employ a plan in it. Creating a domiciliary care business plan, on the other hand, requires a special form of time and attention for it to work effectively when applied, but in any case, if you find it too hard to manoeuvre, you can use our pre-made plan , either in PDF or doc format. 

As a domiciliary caregiver, you will need to perform some basic duties to your clients including cooking, general housekeeping, personal care, medical support, pet care and other forms of support your client might be in need of. 

Before starting as a caregiver you will need some sort of legal qualifications that would make your business legit and validate its existence. Whether you are the owner or another person handling the business, you will need qualifications. To obtain this, simply reach out to your local authorities. 

If you own a domiciliary care business, then you can make money from receiving contracts from clients that need your services. You can reach out to these clients by employing some marketing strategies and creating awareness for your brand. 

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Kenechukwu Muoghalu

Kenny, an accomplished business writer with a decade of experience, excels in translating intricate industry insights into engaging articles. Her passion revolves around distilling the latest trends, offering actionable advice, and nurturing a comprehensive understanding of the business landscape. With a proven track record of delivering insightful content, Kenny is dedicated to empowering her readers with the knowledge needed to thrive in the dynamic and ever-evolving world of business.

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Your Domiciliary Care Agency Business Plan: A Simple Guide

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If you’re considering setting up a care agency that supports people in their own homes, then the first task is to write a detailed business plan.

This step-by-step guide to creating a domiciliary care agency business plan will help you to design your dream business. It will include the following:

Step 1: Remind Yourself Why You’re Writing A Business Plan

Step 2: all about you, step 3: overview summary of your business, step 4: your services in more detail, step 5: deep dive on the market.

Step 6: Analyse Your Competition

Step 7: Your Plan for Marketing

Before you put pen to paper or open up your laptop to start typing, first remind yourself why a thorough, considered business plan is so important.

Starting a new business in any sector involves a lot of initial planning and consideration. Scrimp on this and your start-up could fail spectacularly. But put time, effort and attention into the early preparation and your business is more likely to succeed and grow exponentially.

A comprehensive business plan will not only help to ensure success in the long term, it will also aid you in securing funding, as it clearly demonstrates you have done your homework. It will direct your attention and assist you with organising your time. And, in the future, you can refer back to it to help you expand, or guide you back on track if you’ve lost focus.

With this in mind, make sure you put aside dedicated time to research, write and prepare your home care agency business plan . It will make all the difference in the long run.

Now that your mindset is in the right place, start writing your domiciliary care agency business plan . The first step is to introduce yourself.

A detailed section upfront about who you are and why you are qualified to run a business of this kind will reassure potential investors, as well as help you to sell yourself and your business to new clients.

This summary should include the following points:

1. Your career background and experience in the industry

If you, personally, don’t have extensive experience in the industry, then detail how you plan to expand your knowledge. Perhaps you have a mentor, or plan to employ someone who is an expert in the home healthcare field.

2. Your qualifications for adult care

There are many rules and industry regulations when it comes to providing care . And those providing support in people’s own homes must have the required qualifications.

England’s independent regulator of health and social care is called the Care Quality Commission (CQC) . All domiciliary care agencies must be registered, and it carries out regular inspections and enforces high standards. The details of the relevant qualifications required are noted on the website.

If you already have these qualifications, then ensure they’re listed in your business plan. And if you don’t, then include a plan for how you will train to acquire them. Or, if your strategy is to hire qualified staff, then ensure this is explained clearly.

You, and anyone you plan to employ, must have a Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check to ensure you’re eligible to work in healthcare.

3. Any existing connections you can utilise

Detail here any relationships you have, for example with suppliers or potential clients, that you can leverage for your business.

This section needs to showcase the most important and relevant points about you and your career history. Don’t be tempted to simply copy and paste your three-page CV here. That can be attached to the end of the business plan as an appendix, or supplied if requested.

This executive summary should clearly state what your business is, who you intend to target and how you plan to operate. You can go into more detail in supporting sections later on in the document.

This succinct statement of intent should include the following:

• The name of your business
• What services you plan to offer
• Who you plan to offer those services to (your target market)
• How you plan to operate and staff the business

This section should also contain:

Your business vision

A business vision is future-based and states, at the highest level, what a company wants to achieve in the long term. Its purpose is to inspire the leadership and employees, rather than customers, and give a purpose and meaning to the organisation. It should encapsulate where your business is going and be aspirational.

Business vision statements can feel lofty, but they should be meaningful. A famous example is Disney’s vision ‘to make people happy’.

Your mission statement

This differs from the vision in that it’s all about what you’re doing right now. A mission statement is present-based and should demonstrate how you plan to fulfil your vision. It should be actionable.

For example, if your vision is to ‘make people happy in their old-age’ then your mission might be: ‘by providing around-the-clock high-quality and affordable care to the elderly in their own homes in the city of xxx’.

SWOT analysis

A SWOT analysis details your business’ strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

In the strengths section you can detail your unique selling points and what sets you apart from your competition.

Break down your business weaknesses, such as low public awareness, recruitment difficulties or client retention.

The opportunities can highlight the number of potential customers in your target location, or other areas that you can expand to. You can illustrate your plans for future growth by using SMART goals which are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely.

And the threats could include competition, change in government policies meaning expensive re-training or economic downtown impacting the elderly’s spending habits.

How you plan to finance your business

Detail here how you will fund the start-up investment required to launch your new business. Create a detailed budget which includes all the expected expenditures to get up and running. This could include premises rent, utilities bills, website development, travel, insurance, printing business cards, training etc.

Note down if you have already secured funding, for example from personal savings or private loans from family and friends, and what investment you still require. Explain what additional investment or loans you might also require and where / how you plan to acquire these, such as loans from banks or specialist providers.

This section should also include sales forecasts for the first three years, as well as any time period breakdown you would like to include (e.g. monthly, quarterly etc.). You’ll need to project what sales you need to make to cover your regular outgoings (e.g. monthly expenses), and make a profit.

Following your overview summary, this section of your domiciliary care agency business plan should go into depth about your business’ services.

This can include:

The home care services you plan to offer

For example, nursing, companionship, domestic or housekeeping, personal care or emergency care. It might also include mental health counselling or assisting with home medication management.

How you’ll carry out the services

Such as 30-minute appointments, eight-hour shifts, 24-hour live-in care or emergency call outs.

How much the services will cost you to deliver

Detail here the equipment, training, travel, business software etc. that you require to operate effectively.

Pricing strategy

This strategy includes the rate card prices you plan to charge for all your services. Include whether you will offer payment plans, contracts or pay-as-you-go hourly billing. What the payment options will be (e.g. cash, Direct Debit, mobile card machine) and any discounts for repeat business or longer-term contracts.

Sales strategy

The sales strategy determines how you’ll sell these services to customers. For example, customers can book a package of home care visits online through your website, in-person at a physical office, or over the phone etc.

Legal and insurance requirements

As noted above, the home care industry is strictly regulated. You can’t start operating until you’re registered with the CQC and staff have the appropriate qualifications.

Also detail the insurance your business will require to be able to care for clients in their own homes, administer medication and be responsible for their wellbeing.

Essential procedures and policies you’ll put in place

The CQC looks for specific procedures and policies to ensure a high standard of governance.

These could include a grievance policy, a confidentiality policy, a procedure on bullying or harassment, as well as specific policies on showering and bathing clients. You should also consider application forms for new customers, employment contracts and cancellation procedures.

Growth potential for your services

This can include your plans to expand into new locations, upsell or cross-sell different services to existing clients as well as signing up clients to annual contracts.

Following the top-line overview on your target market in your summary, this section takes a deep dive on your ideal customers.

This market evaluation can be pulled together from desk research including online searches and by consuming media such as newspapers. You can also undertake field research in the form of interviewing your potential customers, conducting questionnaires and gathering first-hand feedback on your proposed offering.

This section will help strengthen your home care agency business plan with quotes and soundbites, statistics from credible sources and industry forecasts.

Incorporate the following:

• General standing of the UK domiciliary care market, predictions for growth, industry forecasts
• Who your target customers are e.g. age, gender, location, needs and desires, lifestyle and hobbies etc.
• How many of these customers will your business potentially be able to reach
• Any existing relationships with these target customers that you can leverage
• Why will these customers buy your services over the competition

Step 6: Analyse Your Competition  

You might have touched upon your competition in the ‘threats’ part of your SWOT analysis, however this part of your home care agency business plan will further explore your competitors.

As with your market research, scrutinising your competitors will involve desk and field research. By getting out and about in the community you plan to target, you’ll be able to identify other similar companies that operate in the same location. They might advertise in local media or on prominent billboards, or they could have signage outside their offices or branded vehicles.

Evaluate your competition by:

• identifying direct competition to your business and map out their strengths, weakness and differences (e.g. operating in the same target geography, offering the same services, offering similar prices etc.)
• identifying indirect competition (e.g. residential care homes or nursing homes) and identify their strengths and weaknesses
• mapping out how you plan to differentiate from this competition

Having a thorough understanding of your competition will enable you to see clearly any ‘gaps’ e.g. how your business can stand out from the crowd; what services aren’t currently being offered; what price points aren’t available; and what target customers’ needs aren’t being met.

A marketing strategy is an important part of your domiciliary care agency business plan . Effective marketing will target the right audience at the appropriate time and via the most relevant channels. This will ensure that you have customers flocking to your new business.

Your strategy should detail:

• any tasks that need to be completed before marketing begins e.g. creating a logo, setting up a website and business phone number etc.
• when you plan to promote your business, for example during the launch period, and then ongoing activity
• what tactics you plan to use, e.g. advertising, leaflet drops, website, branded vehicles etc.
• proposed budget for marketing activity

You can also detail incentive schemes for clients to prompt word of mouth, and any other ways you plan to promote your business, such as networking.

Write Your Home Care Agency Business Plan Today

Launching a new business takes careful consideration. Dedicating time and focus to creating a comprehensive business plan will ensure your domiciliary care agency booms rather than goes bust.

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Between the UK’s ever-growing ageing population and the NHS crisis, demand for domiciliary (or home-based) care services is skyrocketing – and the industry is worth a whopping £7.8bn per year.

While the NHS provides care to countless vulnerable adults and elderly people, there’s plenty of room for new independent care agencies to offer care services to those who need them. Just look at the success of Startups 100 2023 business, Lottie . Founded in 2021, it has taken on a valuation of £45m in just two years.

Your business will find reliable, qualified care providers for clients, collect payment, and then pay your staff a fair portion of these earnings. It’s possible to manage your care partners or carers remotely without having to pay for office space – though you’ll still face significant start-up costs in the form of staff salaries and training.

To make a successful home care business plan , you’ll need to have qualifications and ample experience in the care sector, the ability to effectively manage a team, and a burning desire to provide high-quality, compassionate care. If this sounds like you, read on to find out how to start a home care agency.

There’s a huge amount of planning that needs to go into launching a care agency. Thankfully, one area which needn’t cause undue stress is creating a website to promote your business. Thanks to modern templates like the one below , you can create one of your own in under an hour.

At Startups.co.uk, we test and rate website builder tools, and we’ve identified Wix as one of the best you can choose for creating a business site. Wix even has a selection of  custom website templates designed specifically for care agencies  – you simply drop your own business information, wording and preferred imagery into your chosen template. Better still, it’s completely free to try  for yourself.

The key steps to take when starting a home care agency are:

Your care agency business plan, regulations and training, registering with the cqc, equipment and costs.

• Managing care agency finances

Attracting care workers to your agency

Securing contracts and growing your agency.

At Startups.co.uk, we’re here to help small UK businesses to get started, grow and succeed. We have helpful resources for helping new businesses get off the ground – you can use the tool below to get started today.

What Does Your Business Need Help With?

First of all, you’ll need to think about the types of home care you’d like your home care agency to provide – for example:

• Nursing and healthcare
• Personal care – such as dressing or washing
• Emergency care
• Housekeeping or domestic work
• Help with cooking and preparing meals
• Companionship

The type of care you’re able to provide will depend on your (or your staff’s) experience, skills and qualifications. In the care sector it’s of utmost importance that you hold the qualifications necessary to carry out certain services, but more on that in section two.

You’ll also want to consider whether your agency will provide care to clients in:

• Regular 15-minute visits
• Day-long care, for example in eight-hour shifts
• Round-the-clock 24-hour care
• Anything in between
• All of the above!

Again, this will depend on what you and your staff are qualified for and experienced enough to do – and what your clients need from you.

It’s worth investigating your local area and finding out what sort of care is in high demand. Take a look at popular local care services and find out what they provide.

Will Donnelly is co-founder of Lottie , an online care agency community. Donnelly said that the past two years has shown the country how important the social care market is, creating new opportunities for healthcare startups.

“Without the incredible efforts of our social care heroes, there is no way the country would have got through COVID-19.

“I believe COVID-19 is an opportunity for homes and the wider sector to adopt more digital and tech products, which in turn will lead to huge sector efficiencies and operator savings.”

Alternatively, if you’re interested in launching  a care home  rather than a mobile home care provider, check out our detailed step-by-step guide to starting your own care home .

Writing a business plan

Though it may seem like a mammoth task, writing a business plan will help you to think in depth about every aspect of running your business – from people management to marketing to financial forecasts – helping you to plan accurately for the future and pre-empt any obstacles.

Don’t feel like your business plan has to be set in stone. As Ranjan Singh, co-founder and CEO of HealthHero , Europe’s largest telemedicine provider, told us “it is okay to walk away, change and adapt your business. Sometimes a business cannot succeed down a certain path for reasons that are completely outside your control.”

To get started, we’d suggest checking out our free business plan template .

Once you’re up and running, the  CQC  ( Care Quality Commission  – the important regulating body for all things care) will undertake regular inspections of your agency to ensure it’s up to scratch.The commission will seek to answer the below questions about your agency. Stick to these expectations and you won’t go far wrong…

Is it safe? You and your carers should:

• Respect your clients and protect their dignity.
• Rectify and investigate any mistakes or incidents openly and immediately.
• Be open with clients about their medications, and store and administer them safely.
• Be reliable, and ensure clients are made aware of any upcoming changes.

Is it effective? You and your carers should:

• Have the knowledge and skills required to work with given clients.
• Ensure clients stay in good health by understanding their needs and listening to their preferences.
• Give as much control to the clients as possible.

Is it caring? You and your carers should:

• Know your clients’ backgrounds and hopes for their care.
• Encourage clients to share their views.
• Develop trusting, positive relationships with clients and care about their wellbeing.

Is it responsive to clients’ needs? You and your carers should:

• Work with clients and their families and friends to develop personalised treatment and support plans which adapt to clients’ changing preferences.
• Plan and support with any hospital visits as required.
• Take complaints and concerns seriously and deal with them quickly.

Is it well-led? You should ensure that:

• Your staff are happy, well supported by management, support one another and know what’s expected of them.
• Staff feel confident that, if they report any concerns, they’ll be taken seriously and their worries will be investigated.
• Staff provide the best care that they can and work well with others who are involved in their clients’ care.

Will Donnelly advises care startups not to get too bogged down in early-stage planning, as he learned when developing the Lottie MVP (minimum-viable product).

“Your assumptions will be wrong and product iteration is everything. Other than taking an MVP approach, I would always advise every new founder to speak to as many customers as possible. At Lottie, this is something I took huge pride in and before hiring any other Care Experts, I was responsible for handling Lottie’s first 1,000 enquiries and handling them in a very manual way.

“While it was incredibly exhausting, and at times felt very unproductive, [with] this unique insight that I gained that will define Lottie’s product roadmap in the future.

Chris and Will Donnelly, co-founders of Lottie

Need help staying on track?

If you’re starting a care home then you’ll be facing a number of tasks. Keeping everything organised is vital, and we recommend using a software management tool to help.

Project management software is a great help whether you’re working alone or with others. You can assign tasks, streamline projects and effectively track progress all in one place.

Find out which project management tool we recommend today .

Every care agency must have what’s known as a registered manager – an individual who manages the day-to-day running of the agency and oversees its activity, ensuring it complies with regulations.

While this doesn’t have to be the business’ owner, it also can be – so unless you decide to recruit a senior staff member right away, you’ll likely act as the registered manager yourself.

You do need to have the experience and qualifications called for by the role, though – including either:

• A QCF Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care (either a pathway in Management of Adult Services or Management of Adult Residential Services),
• A Registered Manager’s Award (RMA), or
• An NVQ Level 4 in Leadership and Management for Care Services

While the latter two are no longer offered, they are still accepted by the CQC as valid qualifications.

It’s also worth noting that these qualifications do need to be supplemented by another which shows you have a practical understanding of your specific care setting. For example, a nursing or health and social care qualification.

If you’re going to be providing care to clients yourself, you (and any care staff you hire, for that matter) must also have completed what’s known as  common inductions standards (CIS) training .

Before you take  any  steps towards getting started, you must first register with:

• The Care Quality Commission (CQC) if you’re based in England
• The Care Inspectorate if you’re based in Scotland
• The CSSIW if you’re based in Wales

It’s a legal requirement under the Health and Social Care Act that you do this; registering both  your agency  and the person who’ll be your  registered manager  – whether that’s you or someone else.

Registering with the CQC is a fairly long process – but it gives you the opportunity to prove that you’re appropriately qualified, experienced enough, and truly committed to providing home care of exceptional standards.

As part of the registration process, you will:

• Apply for a  DBS (Disclosure Barring Service) check . This check aims to prove whether or not you’re legally able to work with vulnerable adults – so without passing your DBS check, you can’t legally set up a care agency. If you have any co-founders and a registered manager who isn’t you, they’ll also need to undergo a DBS check.
• Supply  references  from previous employers.
• Give a reference from  your GP  which states that you’re healthy and fit enough to provide care for others.
• Fill in the appropriate  CQC registration form .
• Apply to be named  registered manager  (or have your intended registered manager fill in an application to be named so).
• Create a  statement of purpose . This should cover every aspect of your business in detail – including the services you’ll be providing, what you intend to achieve with your agency, and your contact details. Don’t worry – the CQC provides a template to help ensure you don’t miss anything important.

Once you’ve done all of the above, you’ll be able to submit your CQC registration application! You can get started online by visiting  the CQC website .

In order to register, you’ll need to pay an annual registration fee. You can calculate what your registration fee will be by multiplying the number of clients you’ll have by 45.77, then adding 239: Your registration fee = £239 + (number of service users × 45.77)

NB: This fee can reach a maximum of £78,047. This applies to those who have 1,700 service users or more.

Because you and your staff will be responsible for your clients’ wellbeing – coming into close contact with them and administering medications and treatments – your business will need to be insured against any costly legal claims that could come your way.

You’ll need to look into getting:

• Public liability insurance
• Professional indemnity insurance
• Employers’ liability insurance
• Medical malpractice cover
• Treatments liability insurance

Plus any other covers which you believe are suitable.

Rather than buying these covers separately, it may be that you’re able to find an insurance package specifically for care agencies. Remember to shop around rather than settling on the first offer you see.

It’s difficult to predict how much it’ll cost to start a care agency. Your start-up costs don’t have to be crippling – after all, you can start from home, and won’t need to hire hordes of staff right away – but you will have a few significant outlays:

• Paying your CQC registration fee (you’ll need to pay this once a year to keep your registration)
• Getting insurance
• Paying staff salaries
• Taking on marketing costs (i.e. paying for a website building service, organising promotional materials, etc)
• Buying or renting care agency software
• Paying for any training required by you or your staff
• Renting an office space (if you’re not starting from home)

When you start up, you might find that cashflow can be problematic – for example, you might have to pay a member for staff for care that they’ve provided before the client they cared for pays you.

In the Startups Forum, forum user Hannah states the importance of having “positive cashflow”, and advises: “You need a strong factoring company to support cashflow.” You can find out more about what’s available in our guide to the best factoring companies .

When it comes to starting a care agency, you won’t need much in the way of equipment – but as you’ll be dealing with confidential care records you should ensure your business operates from a room (whether that’s a room in your home or in an office space) that can be  locked tight .

You’ll also want to invest in a fire-proof, lockable unit – such as a  safe  or  filing system  – where confidential staff and service user records can be stored.

Of course, if you opt to go paperless and only store records digitally using a  care software programme , this won’t be so much of a concern for you – though you will need to ensure your  computer or laptop  – and the software on it – is password-protected and stored securely when you’re not in your office.

You might also choose to supply  care uniforms  for your staff, although it’s also perfectly acceptable for you to ask them to purchase their own. If you do this, though, you’ll need to be able to direct them to a reputable company from which they can buy their uniform.

You will, however, need to supply your staff with  photographic ID badges  – it’s important that they have these on them when visiting clients’ homes and carrying out care services.

It’s also a good idea to provide any  protective clothing  that your staff might need, such as aprons or disposable gloves.

Home care software

If you want your care agency to run smoothly without the need for endless paperwork on your part, investing in home care scheduling software is a must.

In short, care agency software aims to automate administrative, paperwork-heavy tasks that might otherwise take you (and your staff) hours to complete.

A good software package can enable you to:

• Plan and record your staff’s shifts and appointments in a digital timetable
• Hold a record of both your staff and clients’ details
• Possibly ask staff to check in and out of appointments so you can monitor their activity

If you opt for a cloud-based software system, you and your staff will be able to access the portal remotely using any device – from office computers to personal smartphones. So if you/they need to check schedules or upload notes on the run, you can.

You’ll save yourself a lot of time and headache if you opt for a package which also includes financial capabilities such as accounting and invoicing, and HR functions.

There are a number of software packages on the market for call scheduling, rotas, invoicing and call monitoring.

But new providers should be wary of off-the-shelf packages for policies as many of them are not compliant with the Health and Social Care Act essential standards.

You might also want to consider creating a business email to better communicate with your patients. Check out our step-by-step guide on how to create one.

Will Donnelly, co-founder of Lottie , an online care agency community,  emphasised the importance of digital solutions when starting a social care business.

“The social care market is broken in so many ways. Consumers lack transparency, it’s digitally backwards and in the long-term, the sector is unsustainable without a dramatic increase of funding and innovation.

“For me, the opportunity to redesign a sector from the ground up is incredibly exciting, but also to instil positivity in an unloved market and to champion families across the UK in one of life’s most stressful scenarios.”

Handling your care agency’s finances

Starting a business takes money and time, and accountancy software can help with both. Whether you’re self-employed, a sole trader, or running a business with staff, you’ll need to stay on top of your finances. If you’re not ready to employ an accountant to help out, then we suggest using an online accountancy tool.

Running a care agency can be hectic, so you probably don’t want to spend a lot of time thinking about your money. However, you can’t ignore it if you want your business to succeed. Accountancy software is designed to simplify the complex processes related to money.

From tracking your outgoings to managing your taxes, you’ll find any finance process simpler with the right tools in place. Take a look below at the accountancy software that we’ve rated highest.

Ranjan Singh, co-founder and CEO of HealthHero, told us that there is lots of different financial information to keep track of when running a care business: “There is a range of information that is critical to me on a very regular basis, but first and foremost it is about growth.

“I keep a close eye on metrics related to service levels, the consultations we offer people, and client satisfaction. Then, of course, product integration/development, budgets and where we are placing our bets in terms of investment in technology. We are growing so quickly and we have such a huge opportunity to change healthcare for the better, that being laser-focused on our objectives is critical for success.”

Hiring qualified, trustworthy, friendly and reliable care workers is crucial to the success of your home care agency.

First, you need to attract candidates using a  targeted recruitment strategy . Think about the type of person you want to hire, and advertise the job in the places they’ll see it. For example:

• Get in touch with local universities and ask them to share your details with graduates in care qualifications.
• Consider taking on apprentices.
• Partner with your local JobCentre Plus, asking them to put you in touch with candidates with the right values and qualifications.
• Advertising the role on your website.
• Listing the vacancy on online job websites such as Reed and Indeed, or on the government’s Find a Job service.

NB: Any staff you hire must:

• Undertake a  DBS check  to confirm that they’re legally able to work closely with vulnerable adults and children.
• Complete  CIS training  and gain a  Care Certificate  (if they’re new to the care sector). If they haven’t already done this, they can do so after you hire them – but it must be within 12 weeks of their starting to work for you.

After hiring a new care worker to your agency, you’ll need to be prepared to pay for any training they need to advance their skills, and shadow them as they go out on care visits and shifts until you’re confident that they’re strong care workers.

While inducting a new carer can be costly and time-consuming, it’s also a crucial process. One of your workers providing inadequate care to a client could lead to a loss of clients, legal claims and even bad publicity – so inducting and training carers properly will benefit your business in the long run.

Will Donnelly told us: “As a first-time founder (ignoring my events business previously), I’ve learnt so much about employment and people management. Ultimately, you can’t do everything yourself and finding/maintaining incredible talent is what defines any business.

“Thankfully, I have started Lottie with my brother, Chris, who’s previously built a successful business, which has allowed us to jump a lot of the hurdles, I would have inevitably been tripped up by.”

Care agencies can receive care contracts from their local authorities, who pay them for the services they provide to clients.

While this can be a simpler way to gain contracts than attracting private clients through marketing, it’s worth remembering that local authorities often don’t pay very well. So, while tendering for contracts from your local council can be a good way to kickstart business, it’s not always viable to rely on them as you grow.

Local authorities do give contracts to new care providers, especially those in their own borough. Some local authorities are allowing new domiciliary care providers to bid for tender; even those who have not yet been inspected by CQC and are new care service providers.

The number of service using clients is growing all the time, and there are only so many existing service providers in one borough. If the existing service providers do not have the capacity to accommodate new service users, the local authority will gladly take on new service providers and keep business in their borough – otherwise users go to their neighbouring areas for new service providers.

There are certain rules and regulations within the public sector about making space for new start-up businesses and not always going for the big fish to give new start-ups a chance, but as mentioned, different local councils work in different ways in terms of whether they follow that rule or not.

Will Donnelly, co-founder of Lottie, said: “ To date, we’ve been overwhelmed by the reception for Lottie, both from customers (families) and care partners. However, doing something different and new in any sector is always going to have its challenges, let alone a market as behind as the care home industry.

“But, persistence is key and staying true to your company’s value and mission is paramount.”

Marketing for private sector clients

Alternatively, care agencies can publicly advertise their services in order to encourage clients to organise care directly with the agency.

In order to market your agency, you should try:

• Setting up a website. No matter how you get your contracts, an informative, easy-to-use website is a must – you can set one up by either hiring a freelance web designer or using a website builder software. Be sure to list your services, price packages and contact details on your site, and optimise it for search so that it appears on Google when someone searches for care in your area.
• Leaflet drops.  These entail printing out a number of professional-looking leaflets – which detail your services and list your contact details – and delivering them through local letterboxes into peoples’ homes. This is something you can do yourself, or enlist the help of an organisation that can coordinate large-scale postal campaigns, such as Royal Mail.
• Traditional advertising.  Have an advert printed in the local paper and magazines, or read out over the radio. Just ensure what you’re putting out there is of a professional standard – you may need to hire a freelance designer or copywriter.
• Referral marketing. Reach out to local doctors and hospitals and work to build a positive relationship with them, with the aim that they will recommend you to their patients who are in need of home care. You should also ask current clients to spread the word about you.
• Social media.  This is a good way to grow your client base and connect with people who might be looking to use, or learn more about, your service. As with a website, be sure to list your services, price packages and contact details on your site, and optimise it for search so that it appears on Google when someone searches for care in your area.

Lottie’s Instagram profile

What’s next?

If you’re an experienced care professional and feel confident that you’d be able to lead a team of care workers, starting your own home care agency could be the ideal business opportunity for you.

Remember: quality of care is key. If you strive to treat every client as you’d like your own family members to be cared for – and instil this outlook into your care staff, too – your care agency could well succeed.

Startups.co.uk is reader-supported. If you make a purchase through the links on our site, we may earn a commission from the retailers of the products we have reviewed. This helps Startups.co.uk to provide free reviews for our readers. It has no additional cost to you, and never affects the editorial independence of our reviews.

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How To Start A Domiciliary Care Business

Kurt Graver June 5, 2022 Business Start-up Advice

Providing compassionate in-home care and connecting healthcare facilities with qualified temporary workers are noble pursuits. But launching these startups comes with hurdles. This comprehensive guide breaks down everything you need to know to get your care business up and running successfully.

Navigating Legal Requirements and Licensing

Unlike starting many businesses, you can’t just open your doors and begin operating a domiciliary care service in the UK. Strict regulations rightfully protect vulnerable people receiving home care. 

To legally provide domiciliary care in England, you must register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) [1]. The application process involves submitting details on:

• Your proposed services
• Business Location
• Staff qualifications 
• Policies and procedures

Once submitted, the CQC will thoroughly review your application and likely inspect your business in person. You’ll also need CQC-approved Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks for all staff to show you can legally work with at-risk adults.

After approval, you must pay an annual fee to maintain CQC registration. They’ll continue evaluating your business through inspections and surveys to ensure you meet essential standards. Having robust systems for delivering quality, personalised care is crucial.

Healthcare staffing agencies don’t require CQC registration. But you still need liability insurance, ironclad contracts, and rigorous candidate screening. We’ll cover staffing specifics later.

Selecting the Right Business Structure

Consider if you want to operate as a sole trader, partnership, or limited company. 

Sole traders have simpler tax and accounting requirements but face unlimited personal liability. Partnerships allow the sharing of responsibilities and complementary skills between co-owners. 

Limited companies separate your personal assets from the business but require more reporting. Many care startups opt for limited company status to limit personal risk. 

Just make sure you have solid partnership agreements or corporate governance procedures in place if you choose a partnership or limited company.

Understanding the Costs

Startup costs vary, but expect to budget around £3,000-£5,000 initially. Big expenses when launching your care business include:

• Incorporation fees – Around £100-£200 to formally create a company
• Office space – Budget £200-£500 monthly for a basic office if needed
• Equipment – A computer, phone, uniforms, medical supplies, etc. £1,000-£2,000 
• Website – £500-£1,500 for a professional site with SEO optimisation
• Staff – Salaries, training, background checks. At least £2,000/month 
• Insurance – £1,000-£2,000 annually for liability coverage
• Marketing – £500-£2,000 for branding, promotional materials, advertising, etc.

Remember ongoing costs like CQC fees, accountants, legal advice, supplies, training, etc. Be realistic with financial projections and seek angel investors or small business loans if needed.

Building Your Care Team

Quality patient care starts with your staff. Legally, a domiciliary care manager must have qualifications like the QCF Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care [2]. Frontline caregivers need training like:

• Moving and Handling Certificate 
• Health and Safety Certificate
• Care Certificate [3]
• First Aid Certificate 
• Mental Health First Aid Certificate

Conduct thorough interviews, check references, and vet candidates’ suitability. Implement a robust induction covering your policies, procedures, training, and code of ethics.

For a staffing agency, strong recruitment using platforms like Indeed is essential to build your pool of qualified nurses, carers, therapists, etc. Verify credentials, qualifications, and suitability. 

Ensure you have payroll and HR systems to handle scheduling, timesheets, and payments and stay legally compliant.

Crafting Customised Care Plans 

Central to quality domiciliary care is developing personalised care plans for each patient, evaluating their:

• Mobility and physical needs
• Healthcare conditions 
• Mental health and cognition
• Nutrition requirements
• Personal preferences
• Family dynamics

Care plans should outline schedules, medications, therapies, activities, and goals. Review regularly and update as needs evolve. Detailed care plans combined with regular training help ensure consistent, quality care.

Getting Clients through the Door

Marketing is essential for any new business. With care startups, focus on:

• Networking – Attend local events to meet community partners and referral sources.
• Website – Create an informative site that ranks high in search engines.
• Social media – Share your mission, team, and news on platforms like Facebook.
• Print materials – Well-designed brochures, flyers, and direct mail can help spread the word.  
• Referrals – Ask happy customers, healthcare providers, and community groups to recommend you.
• Online reviews – Encourage positive feedback on sites like Google, Facebook, and CareAdviser.

For staffing agencies, market directly to care homes, hospitals, clinics, and other facilities needing temporary workers. Build relationships with HR contacts and demonstrate how you can fill urgent staffing needs.

Overcoming Key Startup Hurdles

While passion for caring for others may be your inspiration, the realities of entrepreneurship present challenges. Be ready to navigate hurdles like:

Identifying the Right Opportunities – Carefully research your local market, regulatory environment, competitive landscape, and demographic needs to identify the right services to offer. Can you fill an unmet homecare need or provide staffing support others aren’t?

Securing Startup Funding – Many startups fail because they run out of money. Realistically project costs and seek loans or investors if needed. Consider crowdfunding sites and small business grants. Bootstrapping requires very lean operations.

Bridging Knowledge Gaps – If you lack experience in healthcare, bring on partners or advisors with clinical expertise. Invest in training. Learn regulations inside and out.

Managing Time and Stress – Entrepreneurship involves long hours and wearing many hats. Set boundaries and practice self-care to avoid burnout. Outsource what you can.

Adapting to Changing Conditions – Healthcare is ever-evolving. Stay poised to adjust to funding changes, rising costs, or pandemic response measures.

With proper planning and support, these hurdles are surmountable on the path to success.

Launch Checklist

Follow this launch checklist to get your care business up and running smoothly:

6 Months Before Launch:

• Choose a business structure  
• Research licensing requirements and local opportunities
• Start designing your brand, website, and marketing materials

3 Months Before Launch:

• Officially register your company and apply for CQC licensing
• Open a business bank account and implement accounting software 
• Secure office space if needed
• Finalise policies, procedures, care plans, consent forms, etc.
• Start recruiting and vetting staff.

1 Month Before Launch:

• Confirm CQC registration and complete staff onboarding 
• Finalise insurance, equipment, and other necessities
• Launch marketing efforts and start taking client inquiries
• Revisit financial projections and tweak as needed

Keys to Long-Term Success

Launching a domiciliary care or healthcare staffing startup has challenges. But with proper planning, an amazing team, and dedication to compassionate care, you can build a thriving business.

Remember, word of mouth is powerful – focus on delivering 5-star care and growing your reputation one happy client at a time. Stay resilient, learn from mistakes, and continue improving. You’ve got this!

With this advice, it’s time to make your dream of starting a care business in the UK a reality. You have the power to provide comfort and independence to those needing support. Here’s to changing lives while also growing a sustainable enterprise. Now go forth and care!

The next step is to develop a solid business plan to submit to the CQC and raise funding. You can either use our business plan template to write your own business plan, or we can help you write your business plan using our business plan writing service .

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Care Agency Business Plan

March 20, 2023.

Starting your own Care Agency in the UK isn’t easy, but having a properly developed business plan will help you achieve success. The business plan represents your ability to run your agency considering the requirements of your prospective service users, the strengths of your Care Agency, and how your business will sustain itself if you encounter any adversities. Although the business plans can vary depending on the purpose of the plan, there are some common steps to creating a Care Agency Business Plan, including the following:

Top 5 Steps to Consider for a Care Agency Business Plan!

Step 1: consider the purpose of your business plan.

Starting a new business in any sector requires a lot of planning and consideration. Still, for Care Agencies, you need to put some more thought into it as the nature of the service comes with various legislative guidance and standards. So, your business plan should reflect that your Care Agency has the resources and policies to adhere to the directions.

A comprehensive business plan will not only help to ensure success in the long term, but it will also aid you in securing funding, as it demonstrates that you have done your homework. Suppose you need to develop a business plan to win a tender; the business plan must highlight how you will meet the tender’s requirements and maintain the tendering organisation’s values. It will direct your attention and assist you with organising your time. And, in the future, you can refer to it to help you expand or guide you back on track if you’ve lost focus.

A well-researched and concise business plan will help you organise the elements needed into a strategy that you can use to accumulate the necessary funds to run your business and provide you with a clear road map to follow for the lifespan of your business.

Step 2: All About You

Once you have decided how you will use the business plan, the next step is to introduce yourself. A summary of your business and a detailed section about who you are and why you are qualified to run a Care Agency will reassure potential investors and help you sell your business to potential service users.

The summary should include the following points:

• Your career background and experience in the industry: Relevant industry experiences enrich a business plan and paint a picture of how you will provide service to prospective clients with similar requirements. If you don’t have extensive industry experience, you can explain how you plan to expand your knowledge. Perhaps you have a mentor or plan to employ an expert in the Care Agency field.
• Your qualifications for providing care: There are many rules and industry regulations for operating Care Agencies. Staff providing care to the service users must often have specific capabilities. It is essential to mention the degrees, training, and accreditations your care staff already have or will obtain upon being recruited. England’s independent health and social care regulator is the  Care Quality Commission (CQC) . All care agencies must be registered, regularly inspect, and enforce high standards. CQC notes the details of the relevant qualifications required on its website. If you already have these qualifications, list them in your business plan. And if you don’t, then include a plan for training to acquire them. If your strategy is hiring qualified staff, explain this clearly. You, and anyone you plan to employ, must have a  Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check to ensure you’re eligible to work in healthcare.
• Feedback from existing clients: Detail here any relationships you have, for example, with suppliers or potential clients, that you can leverage for your business. This section must showcase the most important and relevant points about you and your career history. Testimonials of satisfied clients,

Step 3: Overview of Your Business

The overview of your business should include what services you plan to offer, who you plan to provide these services to and how you plan to operate. You must have your vision and mission statement where the vision statement states the long-term goal of your business, and the mission statement represents how you will fulfil those visions. Including the analysis of Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT) for starting or establishing or expanding your business will convey the message of your commitment to continuous improvement.

If you already have an operation, you can explain how you will expand your operation considering the geographic and demographic factors. For example, you can mention your plan for recruiting staff from the target area and how you will transfer the resources such as IT support and the establishment of local offices. If you plan to use the business plan for a tender requiring specific services, including similar service examples and how you provided those services will reassure your future clients.

Step 4: Projecting your revenues

Planning and projecting the financial figures to approximate what you make each year is crucial to building a solid business plan. The projection of revenue sections should include the followings:

• The business plan should include details about how to fund the Care Agency investment required to launch or expand your business. A detailed budget, including all the expected expenditures such as premises rent, utility bills, website development, travel insurance, and training, paints a picture of a robust financial strategy.
• The business plan should clearly state what investments you will still require if you have secured funding, such as personal savings or private loans from family and friends. Explain what additional investment or loans you might also need and how you plan to acquire these, such as loans from banks or specialist providers.
• This section should also include sales forecasts for the first three years and the breakdown you want to specify (monthly, quarterly, etc.). You’ll need to project what sales you must make to cover your regular outgoings (e.g., monthly expenses) and make a profit.
• In this section, you might include how you will operate your business during adverse situations that require contingency plans. For example, you can mention your reserve budget for rainy days, such as a pandemic.

Step 5: Researching your competition

Market research involving both desk and field research will enable you to identify similar companies that operate in the exact location or provide services to the same target group of service users. You can analyse your competition by:

• Mapping out your strength, weakness, and differences in the direct competitions
• Identifying indirect competition (Care Agencies who currently offer different services but can provide the services you are willing to present).
• Highlighting how you plan to stand out in the market

Need help with developing a business plan?

Now you know about Business Plans, you may wonder how we can help you.

At Hudson, we specialise in writing bespoke business plans for Care Agencies for your marketing endeavour or as a part of the tender response. If you want an outsourced approach to writing a business plan for your care agency, our Succeed division is here to help. Our  Bid Management Consultants have over 60 years of experience in bid writing and an 87% success rate, allowing us to create a business plan funders like to see.

Need Tender Writing Help?

Tender writing.

Once you’ve found the perfect bid for your business,  send it  our way. Our  Bid Writers  can take care of the whole thing for you they’ll even submit it on your behalf. They’ll let you know what they need from you, providing you with a full  Tender Writing  breakdown.

Tender Ready

Our  Tender Ready  4-week programme is perfect for businesses that have never tendered before. A Bid Writer will work with you to ensure you have everything in place to tender successfully. Tender Ready offers your business:

• A 12-month subscription to one  Hudson Discover
• Access to Global Bid Directors and Senior Bidding Professionals.
• An Organisation-wide Bid library, including 3  case studies , 5 CVs and policies.
• Additional flexible benefits.

Tender Improvement

If you’ve been tendering but aren’t seeing success from your current efforts, our  Tender Improvement  package can help. Our Bid Team will assess your previous responses and  tender documents . They will work with you to improve for future submissions. This package includes a 12-month subscription to a Hudson Discover portal and additional tendering development services.

Tender Mentor

If you’ve written your tender response and need it double-checked for errors, Tender Mentor can help. A Bid Writer will proofread your work for any inconsistencies, grammar, or spelling mistakes. They will also ensure it’s in line with the specification before you submit it. This is a great way of improving your skills and understanding of how to polish your tender.

Additional support:

Do you only require assistance with PQQs or SQs? We can help!

Submit the relevant information regarding the work you need, and we will provide a quote for the work agreed upon.

We provide support at all levels of the bid writing process, so if you simply need it proofread before you submit it, we can also help with that!

Discover Elite

Need help finding healthcare tenders ? At Hudson, we can help you find the right tenders for your business through our sector-specific portals!

Upgrading to Discover Elite can optimise your tendering efforts!

Our two new time-saving tools can improve competitor awareness and success rate when bidding for a contract:

The Ultimate Time Save Package (for those on the go!)

• Five tender breakdowns per month.
• Annual subscription to two sector-specific portals.
• Dedicated account manager.

The Become a Pre-Bid Master package

• All of the above.
• Seven tender breakdowns per month.
• Bid Strategy delivered by a Senior Bid Manager (minimum five years experience). Our Global Bid Director will manage the bid strategy.

Our other divisions:

Wanting to impress a buyer? Our creative content agency Vocal is always on hand to help!

Our Vocal team are never afraid to be heard – we’re a loud bunch!

From micro-businesses to large organisations, we provide ways to make your business stand out from the crowd. We can transform your bid into a professionally designed tender document!

Vocal specialises in:

• Copywriting
• Illustration

Our online virtual learning environment for Education, Enterprise and Home Learners is currently being used to power our platforms – Tender VLE and Procure VLE (Coming soon).

We believe in learning at your own pace, wherever you are!

Find more helpful tips and advice in our blogs. We cover topics including:

How to prepare your graphic design business plan.

• How to Write a Good Business Plan: 7 Tips from the Experts
• Cleaning Services Business Plan: Explained 

How to Make a Business Plan Step by Step

How to write up a business plan: 6 tips you need to know.

• How to Prepare a Business Plan in 8 Steps

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Contact a consultant, domiciliary care business plan, cleaning services business plan: explained.

• Get Help Writing a Business Plan from the Experts!

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How to start a domiciliary care agency

20 july 2023.

When considering how to start a private home care business in the UK, there will be many factors to think about as you shape your company and its offering.

We have created the guide below to outline how to set up a domiciliary care agency and all this entails—from the research stages to the moment you welcome your first clients.

In this guide, we cover:

What is a domiciliary care agency?

Research and market analysis, choosing the services you will offer, how to find your clients, appointing a registered manager, start-up costs to consider, creating a business plan, how to decide on your pricing, creating a marketing strategy, outlining your policies and procedures, exploring financing options, applying for a countersigned dbs check, your cqc registration inspection, registering your business with hmrc, start trading and building your business.

Domiciliary care is an alternative to traditional residential care. The services provided by a home care business can include a range of medical and personal care to help people with their daily living, within the comfort of their own home. The type of care a domiciliary care business provides will depend on the type of staff it employs, such as carers, nurses and therapists—as well as their qualifications.

When considering how to set up a domiciliary care company, it’s important to plan out the finer details of your business from the word go. The following steps can provide a useful structure.

Before fleshing out your business plan, explore your market.

• Look at what your competitors are doing, where they are located, their pricing plans, etc.
• Research the area you plan to serve and whether there is enough population density to support your business, taking into account socio-economic information and age demographics.
• Familiarise yourself with the appropriate care legislation and regulations, including the Domiciliary Care Agencies Regulations 2002 and the requirements of the Care Quality Commission (CQC) .

Your research will help you decide on the types of services your business will provide. These may be medical or non-medical home care or a mixture of both:

• Nursing and healthcare—changing dressings, administering medications
• Personal care—washing and dressing, using the toilet, getting in and out of bed
• Home help—day-to-day domestic tasks such as cleaning, preparing meals, washing up, laundry, gardening
• Companionship
• Additional tasks such as grocery shopping and collecting prescriptions.

Decide how you want to secure business for your home care agency. Will you provide your services to self-funding clients? Or, will you enter local authority tenders to build your business? You might wish to do both. Again, your research can help you determine your choice.

Every home care agency must have a registered manager. This person manages the day-to-day running of the agency and oversees its activity, ensuring it complies with regulations. The registered manager could be the business owner if they intend to be in charge full-time, or a senior staff member recruited from the outset to manage the agency.

In England, the required qualifications for a registered manager are:

• QCF Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care (Management of Adult Services) or
• Registered Manager’s Award (RMA) or
• NVQ Level 4 in Leadership and Management for Care Services.

Calculating your upfront costs and your outgoings for your first year of trading can be vital to ensuring you get the business off to a good start. Consider the following:

• Equipment costs
• Recruitment costs
• Marketing investment
• Training requirements
• Business rates
• Annual CQC fees (there is no initial registration fee)
• Specialist domiciliary care insurance , including public and employers’ liability, and professional indemnity.

Your business plan should cover every part of your journey, from competitor analysis to cash forecasts and operational costs. You can then use your business plan to apply for business funding. Your plan doesn’t have to be set in stone, but it does need to present realistic predictions of what you are hoping to achieve.

Your pricing will depend on a number of factors, including:

• Whether the care is medical or non-medical, and the level of care required
• Equipment you will need
• How many carers are required per client at one time
• Day-to-day operating costs
• Whether a client is 100% self-funded or receiving a grant from their local authority, NHS or a charity
• Your location, your closest competitors and their pricing
• Your expected profit margins.

Your marketing strategy will depend on who you are selling to but also how you want to position your brand. What is your unique selling proposition (USP)? This is what makes you stand out from the competition. It may be a certain service you offer, the level of expertise your team provides, the geographical area(s) you serve, or your pricing structure.

Once you are clear on your USP and messaging, consider how you will market your business.

• If you haven’t already, decide on a name for your agency—something simple, unique and memorable that reflects your values.
• Create your own website—use a simple website builder or enlist the services of a local marketing agency.
• Use social media—set up social media accounts and keep a consistent flow of content to build your online presence.
• Printed literature—post leaflets and flyers through doors, display them in newsagents’ windows, etc.
• Word of mouth—spread the word to friends and family, local community groups and other businesses.

Your policies and procedures will act as internal guidelines to govern how you and your staff will provide your services. Various templates and toolkits are available online to help you create domiciliary care policies and procedures documentation that are written to reflect the CQC regulatory, legislative and good practice guidance.

Before making any financial commitments or purchases, you must set up a business bank account for your home care agency. Decide where your initial financing will come from, whether you will use your own money or take out a start-up loan or business loan.

Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are a legal requirement for domiciliary care agencies, and as an employer, you must keep on top of your DBS checks. If you are applying to be a registered partner, registered manager or individual provider, you must have an enhanced DBS check that is no more than 12 months old when you apply for CQC registration.

If you are not already a registered healthcare professional, you will need to apply for a CQC countersigned enhanced DBS check (CQC-CE-DBS), which authorises the CQC to carry out extra checks to confirm your identity as part of the DBS process.

All domiciliary care providers must register with the industry regulator, the Care Quality Commission, before they start trading. To grant registration, the CQC must be satisfied that the business is fit to trade as per the requirements set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and compliant with the requirements of the relevant regulations and enactments. Our guide to the CQC  explains more, including the five key questions they use to structure their inspection.

You can register with the CQC as a new provider here . While you won’t need to pay an application fee, once registered you must pay an annual fee towards ongoing monitoring.

Setting up your domiciliary care business as a sole trader means you must register for self-assessment with HMRC for your annual tax returns. If you’re registering as a partnership , each partner must register separately.

You may choose to set up a limited company rather than take the sole trader or partnership approach, in which case you must register your company with Companies House and can be registered for Corporation Tax simultaneously.

Once your domiciliary care business is up and running, you can determine what is working well in terms of staffing, service provision, marketing and general operations, and where your business plan might need tweaking. As your business begins to grow, remember to make the most of the resources available to you, from government advice and support to industry-specific events such as roadshows and conferences for care managers.

The CQC will undertake regular inspections of your agency to ensure ongoing quality and compliance, and provide you with a rating, which you can use to help market your business and instil confidence in your clients.

If you are in the process of planning or starting our own domiciliary care business, we wish you the very best. If you would like specialist advice on your domiciliary care insurance  and risk management requirements, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our team.

Gallagher Care Team

• 0800 062 2325

The sole purpose of this guide is to provide guidance on the issues covered. This article is not intended to give legal advice, and, accordingly, it should not be relied upon. It should not be regarded as a comprehensive statement of the law and/or market practice in this area. We make no claims as to the completeness or accuracy of the information contained herein or in the links which were live at the date of publication. You should not act upon (or should refrain from acting upon) information in this publication without first seeking specific legal and/or specialist advice. Arthur J. Gallagher Insurance Brokers Limited accepts no liability for any inaccuracy, omission or mistake in this publication, nor will we be responsible for any loss which may be suffered as a result of any person relying on the information contained herein.

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How to start a domiciliary care agency

Establishing a domiciliary care business is not devoid of challenges, of course: recruitment has always been a hurdle for this sector.

The increasing cost of living and the departure of thousands of potential EU workers following Brexit are resulting in a significant shortage of skilled and specialist caregivers needed in social and care work.

Nevertheless, it is immensely rewarding. So, if you’re contemplating starting a domiciliary care business, here’s a guide to some of the key steps to consider.

Table of Contents

What is a domiciliary care agency?

A domiciliary care agency, also known as a home care agency, is an organisation that provides a range of care and support services to individuals in their own homes.

These services are tailored to meet the specific needs of clients who may require assistance with daily tasks due to illness, disability, or old age. Domiciliary care agencies typically employ trained caregivers who visit clients’ homes to provide assistance with activities such as personal care, medication management, meal preparation, household chores, and companionship.

The goal of a domiciliary care agency is to help individuals maintain their independence and quality of life while living in their own familiar environment. These agencies play a crucial role in supporting individuals who wish to remain in their homes rather than move into residential care settings.

Starting a domiciliary care business

When contemplating the establishment of a domiciliary care enterprise, meticulous planning of every aspect of your business right from the outset is imperative. The subsequent steps offer a valuable framework to guide you through the process:

Research and market analysis

Prior to elaborating on your business strategy, delve into your market.

• Examine your competitors’ strategies, their geographical reach, pricing structures, and more.
• Conduct thorough research on the region you intend to cater to, assessing population density to ensure it sustains your venture.
• Consider socio-economic factors and age demographics.
• Acquaint yourself with pertinent care legislation and regulations, including the Domiciliary Care Agencies Regulations 2002 and the standards mandated by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Choosing the services you will offer

Your exploration will inform the spectrum of services your enterprise will offer. These could encompass medical, non-medical home care, or a blend of both:

• Nursing and healthcare—such as wound care and medication administration.
• Personal care—assisting with bathing, dressing, toileting, and mobility.
• Domestic assistance—undertaking household chores like cleaning, cooking, dishwashing, laundry, and gardening.
• Providing companionship.
• Additional errands like grocery shopping and prescription pickups may also be accommodated.

How to find your clients

Finding clients for your domiciliary care agency involves implementing targeted strategies to reach potential individuals in need of your services. Start by establishing a strong online presence through a professional website and social media platforms, where you can showcase your offerings and engage with your target audience.

Networking with healthcare professionals, local community groups, and organisations can also be fruitful in generating referrals. Additionally, consider attending relevant events or hosting informational sessions to raise awareness about your agency within your local community. Offering special promotions or discounts for new clients can help attract initial interest.

Leveraging word-of-mouth recommendations from satisfied clients and their families can significantly contribute to expanding your client base over time. By employing a multi-faceted approach and consistently delivering high-quality care, you can effectively connect with and serve those in need of your domiciliary care services.

Appointing a registered manager

Each domiciliary care agency is obligated to appoint a registered manager. This individual assumes responsibility for the agency’s day-to-day operations and ensures adherence to regulatory standards. The registered manager may either be the business owner, particularly if they commit to full-time management, or a senior staff member specially recruited to oversee agency affairs from the outset.

In England, specific qualifications are mandated for registered managers:

• QCF Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care (Management of Adult Services)
• Registered Manager’s Award (RMA)
• NVQ Level 4 in Leadership and Management for Care Services

These qualifications equip managers with the necessary expertise to proficiently lead the agency and uphold regulatory compliance.

Start-up costs to consider

Assessing your initial expenses and projected expenditures for the inaugural year of operation is crucial for laying a solid foundation for your business.

Take into account the following:

• Equipment expenditures
• Recruitment outlays
• Marketing allocations
• Training necessities
• Business rates
• Annual CQC fees (no initial registration charge)
• Specialised domiciliary care insurance encompassing public and employers’ liability, as well as professional indemnity coverage.

Creating a business plan

Crafting a comprehensive business plan is essential to charting your course, encompassing competitor scrutiny, financial projections, and operational expenses. This blueprint can serve as a tool for seeking business funding. While flexibility is key, your plan should offer pragmatic forecasts of your aspirations.

How to decide on your pricing

Determining your pricing structure hinges on various considerations:

• The nature of care, whether medical or non-medical, and the extent of assistance needed
• Required equipment
• Staffing requirements per client
• Daily operational expenses
• Client’s funding source: fully self-funded or supported by local authority, NHS, or charity
• Geographic location, proximity to competitors, and their pricing strategies
• Target profit margins.

Creating a marketing strategy

Tailoring your marketing strategy is contingent upon your target audience and the positioning of your brand. What sets you apart from competitors is your Unique Selling Proposition (USP), whether it’s a distinct service, the expertise of your team, your geographic reach, or your pricing model.

Once your USP and messaging are defined, strategize how to market your agency effectively:

• Choose a memorable and reflective name for your agency if you haven’t already.
• Establish an online presence through a user-friendly website, either by utilising a website builder or seeking assistance from a local marketing agency.
• Leverage social media platforms by creating accounts and consistently sharing engaging content to bolster your online visibility.
• Distribute printed materials like leaflets and flyers in strategic locations such as local businesses and community hubs.
• Harness the power of word-of-mouth marketing by spreading awareness among friends, family, community groups, and other businesses.

Outlining your policies and procedures

Your policies and procedures serve as essential internal directives dictating the provision of services by you and your staff. Numerous online templates and toolkits are accessible to aid in crafting domiciliary care policies and procedures documentation aligned with CQC regulations, legislative requirements, and best practices. These resources ensure that your operational framework adheres to the prescribed standards and guidelines.

Exploring financing options

Prior to any financial commitments or acquisitions, establishing a dedicated business bank account for your domiciliary care agency is imperative. Determine the source of your initial funding—whether you’ll utilise personal funds or opt for a start-up, invoice financing or business loan. Assessing the most suitable financing option ensures prudent financial management and sets the stage for your agency’s fiscal stability.

Applying for a countersigned DBS check

Ensuring compliance with legal regulations, Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) checks are mandatory for domiciliary care agencies, with employers required to stay vigilant in their implementation.

For those seeking registration as a partner, manager, or individual provider, an enhanced DBS check, no older than 12 months at the time of CQC registration application, is obligatory.

If not already a registered healthcare professional, obtaining a CQC countersigned enhanced DBS check (CQC-CE-DBS) is necessary. This facilitates additional identity verification checks by the CQC as part of the DBS process.

Your CQC registration inspection

All domiciliary care providers are mandated to undergo registration with the industry regulatory body, the Care Quality Commission (CQC), prior to commencing operations.

To obtain registration, the CQC evaluates the business’s suitability to trade in accordance with the stipulations outlined in the Health and Social Care Act 2008, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and legislation. Our comprehensive guide to the CQC delineates further details, including the five key questions employed to structure their inspections.

To initiate registration as a new provider with the CQC, you can commence the process here. Although no application fee is required, registered providers are obligated to remit an annual fee to facilitate ongoing monitoring and oversight.

Registering your business with HMRC

Opting to establish your domiciliary care enterprise as a sole trader necessitates registration for self-assessment with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to facilitate annual tax returns. In the case of a partnership, each partner must undertake separate registration.

Alternatively, you might opt to form a limited company instead of pursuing the sole trader or partnership route. In such instances, registering your company with Companies House is mandatory, concurrently enabling registration for Corporation Tax.

• Care home market overview in the UK
• Marketing for healthcare clients
• Tendering for public sector contracts
• How to finance a healthcare business

Frequent asked questions

Is domiciliary care a good business in uk.

Yes, flexible healthcare staffing and home care services in the UK are worth over £12 billion per year and rising. The care business is non-seasonal, which means cash flow is steady and financial planning is easy. In addition, because home care is an essential service, it is recession-proof.

How to start a dom care company?

To start a dom care company the first thing you'll need to do is register with the Care Quality Commission(CQC). This is the independent regulator of health and social care in the UK. The CQC ensures health and social care services provide people with safe, effective, high-quality care.1

Start trading and building your business

Once your domiciliary care business is operational, it’s essential to assess what aspects are thriving in terms of staffing, service delivery, marketing, and overall operations, while also identifying areas where adjustments to your business plan may be necessary. As your enterprise expands, capitalise on available resources, including government guidance and industry-specific events such as care manager roadshows and conferences.

The Care Quality Commission (CQC) will conduct periodic inspections of your agency to ensure ongoing adherence to quality standards and regulatory compliance, ultimately assigning a rating that can enhance your business’s marketing efforts and foster client confidence.

If you’re in the initial planning stages or launching your domiciliary care business, we extend our best wishes. Should you require specialised advice on domiciliary care insurance and risk management, our team is readily available to assist you.

Seasoned professional with a strong passion for the world of business finance. With over twenty years of dedicated experience in the field, my journey into the world of business finance began with a relentless curiosity for understanding the intricate workings of financial systems.

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A guide to launching a domiciliary care agency

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Setting up a new business is often a daunting task. There are many things to consider and pitfalls to avoid. Launching a domiciliary care agency has the added burden of ensuring that you are successfully registered with the Care Quality Commission. Turning your dream into reality requires many things; you need to know where to begin, an organised approach and a thorough understanding of the marketplace in which you will be operating.

Statistics from the King’s Fund show that in 2019/20 838,530 adults received funded long-term social care, primarily in care/nursing homes or their own homes. These are substantial figures and are indicative of how important the domiciliary care market is in the delivery of care. There are now in excess of 8,800 providers of homecare in England registered with the CQC.

To get started it is essential to have the right policies and procedures in place to ensure that you successfully register with the regulator and are able to pass future inspections. This applies just as much as to registration with the Care Inspectorate in Scotland and Care Inspectorate Wales, as it does with the CQC in England. Quality Compliance Systems is here to help you with this essential element of launching your domiciliary care business. The following pages provide advice and guidance on the other start-up elements you need to consider.

Registration

First things first, before you offer any care services in England, you need to register with the Care Quality Commission (CQC). It is a legal requirement under the Health and Social Care Act 2008 to register your organisation and the individual who will be your Registered Manager. This may be you if you have the relevant qualifications and are not employing or entering into partnership with someone who is to fulfil those requirements.

QCS provides advice and guidance about successfully registering in England, as well as providing accompanying policies and procedures that are required. To begin your registration in England, visit the following CQC webpage:

https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/registration/register-new-provider

Before registering you need to consider whether you have the relevant qualifications and experience to provide homecare, whether you have experience and understanding of relevant legislation including

• Health and Social Care Act 2008 and its associated regulations
• Mental Capacity Act 2005 and the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards

And, whether you truly are committed to the vocation of providing excellent standards of care that respect and enrich the lives of those to whom you provide services. It’s an important consideration and one which the CQC will ascertain through your registration and delivery of services. Here are the key elements of registration on which you need to concentrate.

• You need to apply for a CQC-countersigned DBS (Disclosure Barring Service) check. Formerly known as a CRB check, the DBS ensures that you can lawfully work with vulnerable adults. This is the very first action which you must undertake and can take up to eight weeks to receive back. The DBS check needs to be carried out for the following
• Individuals registering to provide a care service
• All partners (if there are any)

Registered Manager

Click the following link to apply for your DBS check: https://cqc.disclosures.co.uk/

Further information can also be found here: https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/registration/dbs-checks-cqc-registration

• References – You will need to provide the following information:
• Details of employment history
• GP name and contact details
• Last employer’s name and contact details
• Declaration of medical fitness

Where it is a partnership, the same information should be supplied for all partners.

• Financial Viability – You will need to have the financial resources to provide the services you are applying for and need to provide assurance of your financial position to CQC. A statement letter from a financial specialist, such as a registered accountant, should be submitted with the application.
• Fill in the right registration form. The forms vary according to whether you intend to supply services as an organisation, a partnership or as an
• Fill in the Registered Manager
• You must have a Statement of Purpose in place. This is quite information-rich so to ensure nothing is omitted, QCS provides you with a template which you can adapt to your Much information needs to be included within the Statement of Purpose, including but not limited to:
• Details of the services  provided
• Contact details
• The provider’s aims and objectives
• Once you have received your CQC-countersigned DBS and fulfilled the above, you are ready to submit your It should be sent by email, alongside all the supporting documentation.

The CQC provide a useful webpage which highlights the most common errors found in applications. Read this list and ensure that you do not make these mistakes, as it will only delay your application and the start of your business:

https://www.cqc.org.uk/guidance-providers/registration/registered-manager-application/final-checks-common-errors

Qualifications & Training

All care professionals must satisfy the CQC’s requirement that “care providers show that they are complying with the relevant regulations covering staff competence and training”. This means that all care staff must have completed the Care Certificate which is applicable to the adult social care sector. These standards must also be completed within 12 weeks of commencing employment.

Beyond the Care Certificate, certain roles require that specific qualifications be in place before care is provided, and in one case, before a service is provided. This position is that of the Registered Manager, perhaps the single most important position recruited into any care business. When sourcing a Registered Manager, you must make absolutely certain that they have the relevant skills and experience before a care service is provided. This is a critical role within your establishment and one which will be scrutinised by the CQC from the registration stage.

The current qualification which the Registered Manager should possess is the QCF Level 5 Diploma in Leadership for Health and Social Care, choosing one of the following pathways:

• Management of Adult Services
• Management of Adult Residential Services

If the Registered Manager does not have the Level 5 Diploma, then he/she ought to register on to the programme within 3 months of appointment and expect to complete it within 18 months to 2 years. This advice has been provided by Skills for Care and is utilised by the CQC in making a proportionate judgment about any Registered Manager that does not possess either the Level 5 Diploma or an equivalent older qualification.   When making a decision the CQC takes into consideration such factors as the impact this could have on service users; whether the individual has registered on to the programme; previous experience and relevant qualifications.

Qualifications which are no longer offered, but are still valid in satisfying the CQC’s requirements are:

• Registered Manager’s Award (RMA)
• NVQ Level 4 in Leadership and Management for Care Services

It’s important to remember that the two general qualifications above need to be supplemented with a further qualification which demonstrates that the Registered Manager has the right skills and knowledge for the specific care setting. An NVQ Level 4 in Health and Social Care or a relevant nursing qualification are two examples.

Ensure that proof of all qualifications upon preparing your official registration with the CQC is supplied.

Responsible Individual

The Responsible Individual is a key management position, whereby the post holder must demonstrate that they have all the key skills and experience for overseeing the running of a care business. This is not necessarily a position where the post holder provides care. However, it is reasonably common for the Registered Manager and the Responsible Individual to be the same person in a start-up business. In this case, all of the above requirements for the Registered Manager apply.

For further guidance please visit the Skills for Care website. You can view relevant material and resources to help you ensure that you have the right qualifications and skills in place for all your employees, not just the Registered Manager:

http://www.skillsforcare.org.uk/

Establishing an adequate cash-flow is one of the most significant challenges for start-up businesses.  Winning tenders is likely to be a significant element in securing the income you need and understanding the essentials of the process is one of the keys to success.

Once a tender has been advertised, say by a Local Authority, you need to register your expression of interest with the tendering body. Following this a Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) is sent out to you with a deadline for completion and return. The shortlist of providers is drawn from the submitted PQQs. Having successfully made the shortlist you are then able to officially tender to provide the service(s).

The structure of the PQQ may vary from one tendering body to another and may include, but is not limited to:

• Evidence of financial viability of the applicant organisation
• Evidence of registration with the CQC
• Evidence of relevant experience in the provision of similar services
• Evidence of previous businesses including director prosecutions, insolvency,
• Evidence of suitably qualified and trained staff
• Contact details for suitable referees
• Personnel information about both the provider and any staff
• Certificate of incorporation
• Health and safety information
• Company financial information
• Business Continuity Plans

It may take time to establish that you have enough history to successfully win a tender contract for the provision of care services, so finding income from independent paying clients is often crucial. Effective marketing can help enormously, but so does having a prudent cash-flow policy and start-up fund.

Employing Staff

Running a domiciliary care agency is a very challenging undertaking. The logistics of providing care in multiple locations requires the recruitment of suitably qualified, trustworthy staff. When sourcing suitable candidates, you need to be certain about the qualifications and experience that are required. We have a qualifications page which gives you essential guidance on this. You also need to think about background checks via the DBS where appropriate, where to advertise, which agency to use and how an interview must be conducted.

Helpful advice about employing staff can be found at the following websites:

• Department of Business, Innovation and Skills: bis.gov.uk
• Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development: cipd.co.uk

The QCS Management System contains a comprehensive Human Resources section and includes an accompanying folder. This provides you with policies and procedures covering everything from absence, sickness, contracts, employee handbooks, equality and disability and job descriptions, through to performance and discipline, recruitment, training, and induction. Our aim here is to provide you with solid support, enhanced by our HR partners and expert contributors, Napthens Solicitors.

• Registration with the CQC, Care Inspectorate or CIW: Both your agency and the Registered Manager
• Setting up your business: Sole trader; Limited Company; Partnerships
• Recruitment, induction, and training
• Pay and VAT
• Disclosure Barring Service
• Company registration
• Funding – tendering, direct payments, cashflow

Quality Compliance Systems (QCS) offers a unique approach to CQC Compliance with an online based service specifically tailored to the individual needs of your organisation.

Whether you are an established Care Provider or a start-up organisation, our service is provided with the aim of ensuring that all aspects of compliance are being attended to.

Our industry experts continually update existing policies and procedures, whilst introducing new ones in response to the latest changes issued by the Care Quality Commission (England) and the Care Inspectorate (Scotland).

Read the reviews http://www.trustpilot.co.uk/review/qcs.co.uk

Try QCS with a FREE trial

Find out more or enjoy a FREE trial of our CQC management system to see how QCS can help you save time, stay compliant and improve standards:

• Full Access to up to 2,300+ online pages of easy to use guidance with 300+ policies & procedures
• It’s completely, totally, absolutely FREE!
• PLUS! Gain FREE online trial access to our Mock Inspection Toolkit

Register for a free trial here: www.qcs.co.uk

Or Call one of our Compliance Advisors now on  0333 405 33 33 or email: [email protected]

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Chris williams, tiggo care /, november 2023, starting a domiciliary care business: q&a with chris williams from tiggo care.

In this blog post, we ask Chris Williams, the founder of Tiggo Care , a series of questions that we think you should consider if you want to start a domiciliary care business in the UK. Chris first reached out to Delphi Care in 2021 looking for support to start his domiciliary care start-up. Since then Chris has successfully launched Tiggo Care, which is a multi-award-winning domiciliary care business based in southwest London.

What is a domiciliary care business?

Firstly, it’s important to clarify what a domiciliary care business is. Domiciliary care businesses, also known as home care or home healthcare agencies, are businesses that provide various types of non-medical and medical care services to individuals living in their own homes. These services are typically provided to people who have difficulties with daily activities due to age, illness, or disability. The important distinction is that the service users want to remain in the comfort of their own homes rather than relocate to a residential facility, such as a care home, nursing home, or assisted living complex.

What services should I offer?

All domiciliary care companies provide the following services to their clients:

• Personal Care
• Companionship
• Meal Preparation
• Medication Management
• Light Housekeeping

However, the way these services are delivered can vary quite significantly. For example, some companies will coordinate daily visits from care assistants to deliver these services and others will organise for a full-time live-in care assistant. Some companies, like Tiggo Care, provide both daily home care visits and 24/7 live-in care services .

Care companies can also choose to offer specialised services that fall under these two categories. For example, some care companies focus on providing a reablement service. This type of service aims to help restore the independence of patients after they are discharged from hospital. This type of service might last anywhere between 1 and 8 weeks depending on the the patient’s needs. Others might choose to specialise in complex care, where the clients require assistance from a carer or nurse 24 hours per day, 7 days per week. Finally, other domiciliary care companies might specialise in respite care , where a carer gives the client’s primary caregiver a break. The breaks might be for 2 hours every day or for a whole week while the primary caregiver goes on holiday.

The services you choose to provide will depend on your local market, your experience in the care sector, and your personal preferences. However, it’s important to think about which of these services you want to offer before you start recruiting or marketing for your business.

How do I find clients?

Before starting your domiciliary care business it’s important to consider how you will acquire clients. There are three types of payers in the sector: local authority-funded clients, NHS-funded clients, and private clients.

If you want to acquire clients via your local authority or via the NHS you will need to register your company with adult social services or with the NHS Continuing Healthcare team. It’s important to note most local authorities and NHS Integrated Care Boards will require you to have a Good CQC rating before they are willing to refer you clients. Once you have a Good CQC rating it will be possible for you to do ‘spot work’, where you contract to support an individual. Local authorities and Integrated Care Boards also give domiciliary care providers the opportunity to tender for larger contracts every 2 to 5 years. Successful tenders will result in the local authority or NHS supplying you with clients on a regular basis.

Private clients can be acquired via several channels. The most popular marketing channels are online and include registering your company on lead generation websites, such as homecare.co.uk and Lottie . You may also want to consider paid advertising on Google and social media websites. Organic search can be an effective method too but it usually takes a long time before you see an ROI on your efforts. Lastly, you should consider offline marketing such as advertising in local newspapers and magazines.

What is the CQC and how do I get CQC approval?

The Care Quality Commission, known as the CQC, is the independent regular of health and social care services in England. This organisation is responsible for ensuring health and social care providers, including hospitals, care homes, home care agencies, dental practices and other healthcare service providers, meet essential standards of quality and safety . If you are starting a home care agency you will need to register with the CQC to legally provide personal care .

Applying to the CQC can seem daunting at first but in reality, it isn’t that complicated. You will make the application online and you will need to have selected a Registered Manager before submitting the application. To work as a Registered Manager you need an NVQ Level 5 in Health & Social Care. If you don’t have this qualification you will need to hire someone to fill this role. You will also need to select a Nominated Individual. For most startups, the Nominated Individual is the business owner. Both the Registered Manager and Business Owner will need a recent DBS check. The Registered Manager will need a CQC countersigned DBS check but the business owner will only need a Enhanced DBS check.

You’ll also need to clearly understand what services you are going to offer to complete the New Provider Application Form. For example, are you only going to support people over the age of 65 with personal care or are you also going to support people between the ages of 18 and 65? The other form you need to complete is your Statement of Purpose. You will use the template Statement of Purpose available on the CQC website. It’s worth taking a look at the New Provider Application Form and the Statement of Purpose template now because these documents will help you to think about how your business will operate.

Besides the two documents I’ve already mentioned, you’ll need to submit the following:

• Home Care Business Plan
• Financial Viability Statement (my accountant provided me with this)
• Specific Policies, such as your Infection Control Policy
• Public and Employer Liability Business Insurance Quote or Certificate
• Sample Care Contract
• Sample Care Plan
• Staffing Structure
• Staff Training Matrix
• Organisation Strucutre

More information on supporting documentation can be found on the CQC website here .

Once your application has been processed you will be asked to attend an interview before the CQC make their final decision. This will either take place in your office or online.

What happens during a CQC inspection?

You are usually given prior notice of a CQC inspection to ensure key employees are available at the time of the inspection. During the inspection, a CQC Inspector will visit your office and assess your business against the Key Lines of Enquiry, which include:

• Safe: Assessing whether service users are protected from harm, abuse, or neglect.
• Effective: Evaluating whether care and support achieve good outcomes and promote health and well-being.
• Caring: Assessing whether staff treat service users with compassion, respect, and dignity.
• Responsive: Evaluating whether services are person-centered and responsive to individual needs and preferences.
• Well-led: Assessing the leadership, governance, and management of the home care agency.

You will be asked to provide evidence to support each of the key lines of enquiry. Evidence might include key policies and procedures, care plans and risk assessments, and staff training matrixes. You will also be asked to provide contact details for customers and staff members so that the inspector can ask them questions directly.

• Well-led: Assessing the leadership, governance, and management of the agency.

Is a domiciliary care business profitable? 

Domiciliary care companies can be profitable businesses but they aren’t profitable from day one because they have relatively high start-up operating costs. For example, it’s hard to run this type of business from home and so you will need to pay for an office with a training/meeting room. If you don’t have an NVQ Level 5 you will also need to account for the salary of your Registered Manager. 

To operate smoothly you’ll also likely need to pay for some care-specific software, HR legal support, policies & procedures, and accounting. The other big operating costs are advertising costs, both for staff and clients. Hence, it’s unlikely your business will turn a profit quickly but once you have enough clients to cover these operating costs your domiciliary care business will be profitable.

How much will it cost to start a domiciliary care business?

It’s hard to give a specific figure but in order to have sufficient cash flow I would say you need somewhere between £50,000 and £150,000. You will need less money if you have an NVQ Level 5 because you won’t need to hire a Registered Manager. It might cost more to start a domiciliary care business if you’re looking to purchase a home care franchise because franchises charge a setup fee.

What staff do I need to get started?

To get started you will need a Registered Manager and some Care Assistants. As you grow you will need to hire a Field Care Supervisor, Care Coordinator, and more Care Assistants. Some larger care companies might have a deputy manager and an in-house trainer.

How do I recruit domiciliary care workers?

At the moment it can be challenging to recruit care workers due to the national shortage of professional carers. However, the best place to find care workers is online. Job sites such as Indeed and Total Jobs are popular places for carers to look for work. You can also advertise via your local job centre or recruit directly from colleges that offer health and social care qualifications.

More News & Blogs from Delphi

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How Often Does the CQC Inspect Care Services?

What to understand if you’re a new caregiver

Caring for your care home and residents in Winter

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

My “Walking Stick” Moment

NACAS – National Association of Care and Support Workers

Government considering National Care Service in White Paper proposals, report

Over 1m health and care staff needed in next decade

The NCF has called on government to provide “immediate support” to address staffing shortages in the social care sector.

2021-22 Workforce Development Fund has now launched.

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Business Startup – Care Agency Package

Are you planning on starting a domiciliary care agency / homecare business.

If the answer to the above question is YES, then our Business Start Up Package is the ideal solution to help you establish your new domiciliary service.

W&P understands the complexities and challenges of starting up a Health and Social Homecare business and that’s why we developed the Care Agency Start-up Package to provide a one stop shop of all the essential tools needed to set up and run a care agency.  The Start Up package has been designed to be an integral part of helping you to achieve success. Our aim is to help you realise your care business objectives from inception through cqc registration and beyond.

What’s included in the Domiciliary Business Startup Packages

Standard Package

£1200 + vat

Enhanced Package

£1600 + vat

Domiciliary Care Policies & Procedures

(£995.00 + vat when purchased separately)

The Domiciliary Care Policies include over 130 essential policies for your Care Agency Business.  Branded with your company name, logo and contact details .

W&P’s dedicated inhouse compliance and policy team of professionals research and write all polices to ensure they meet  CQC  regulatory, legislative and good practice guidance within the Health and Social Care sector.

[ full details ]

Recruitment & Personnel Form Templates

(£105.00 + vat when purchased separately)

All you will need to get started Recruiting and Selecting staff for your care agency.

The forms provide evidence for  CQC  requirements under Schedule 3.

They include over 20 form templates including, Spot Checks, Supervision and Appraisal Records, Recruitment Forms, Letter templates and many more.

Assessment & Care Planning Templates

(£99.00 + vat when purchased separately)

The set includes… Assessment Assessment of Need About me

Care Planning Care Plan Template Care Review Template Consent to Care and Support Diabetic Care and Support Plan Type 1 Diabetes Diabetic Care and Support Plan Type 2 … plus many more.

[ full details]

Quality Assurance & Audit Templates

(£125.00 + vat when purchased separately)

The set includes…

Accident and Incident Reports Care and Support Plan Audit Tool Dignity Audit Hoist & Sling Audit Infection Control Audit Medication Audit Tool Personnel Audit Tool Pressure Area Audit Tool Safeguarding Audit Tool Quality Audit Questionnaires Annual Quality Audit Questionnaire First Response Quality Audit Questionnaire … plus many more.

Health & Safety and Risk Assessment Templates

The set includes 19 Risk Assessment Templates including…

Risk Assessment: Choking Risk Assessment: COSHH Risk Assessment: Diabetes Risk Assessment: Falls Risk Assessment : Financial Abuse Risk Assessment: Infection Control & Cleanliness Risk Assessment: Lone Workers Reporting Log Risk Assessment – Lone Worker Hazard Checklist for Lone Working … plus many more.

Medication Management Form Templates

The Management of Medicines is now an area of activity that needs to be at the core of your care needs assessment process. These Management of Medicines forms assist in this process and provide a framework which should be regularly reviewed and amended as events unfold.

Care Agency Staff Handbook

(£115.00 + vat when purchased separately)

The Care Agency Staff Handbook assists you in clearly explaining your expectations for your employees, and describes what they can expect from your organisation. It describes your legal obligations as an employer, and your employees’ rights.

Business Plan Template

(£49.99 + vat when purchased separately)

It is now a requirement to submit a business plan with your CQC application. The Business Plan Template is structured in accordance with CQC requirements including, Executive Summary, who is responsible for the plan, operations, finance, sales, market research and much more. You cannot submit your application without a completed business plan.

Policy & Procedure Update Service

(Free for the first year)

The Care Agency Business Package includes a years of Policy Updates free of charge.

W&P’s policy and compliance team constantly scan and review all the statutory websites and regulatory publications to track the very latest developments in the Health & Social Care Sector. We then assimilate all the data collected and update the policies and procedures. After the first year of free updates you can choose to renew the update service, or not. The update service is just £225 (exc vat) per year after the first free year of updates.

Financial Viability Form

CQC wants to see that your business has the necessary working capital to sustain itself during the initial months of trading. For convenience we have included a copy of the CQC’s template, the template must be completed and signed by a financial professional. You cannot submit your application without a signed Financial Viability Form.

Adult Safeguarding Training Pack

These comprehensive training packs provide evidence for the CQC compliance requirements, evidence for the Care Certificate and evidence for the Diplomas in Health and Social Care (RQF). They are a flexible and affordable training solution, one purchase of any title allows you to train as many learners as you require which means no ongoing License or usage fees.

Care Certificate Training Pack

(£416.00 + vat when purchased separately)

W&P’s Care Certificate pack has been designed to be easy to follow and accessible for both the trainer and the trainee. Written by users for users, we have made our packs more manageable by dividing the core units into 3 x 1 month sections making modular learning much easier.

Bespoke Business Support

(£75.00 +vat per hr when purchased separately)

Our bespoke business support is tailored to the needs of your business to ensure it is relevant and useful tool for organisation. It can be used to support in helping complete the application form for CQC registration, preparing for the first visit after application and support with being ready to start trading as an organisation in health and social care. The support can be centred on regulatory requirements or tailored to your specific needs.

Business Contingency Bundle

(£75.00 + vat when purchased separately)

The Business Contingency Bundle includes the following templates; Business Continuity Plan, Business Contingency Communication Record, Business Contingency Plan Revision Record, Business Contingency Testing Record, Business Contingency Data Tracker and a IT/Data Systems Spec Sheet.

Train the Trainer Pack

(£299.00 + vat when purchased separately)

This Training Pack is an in depth, step by step, knowledge led learning course which will enable good In-House Training to become a reality. It covers all aspects of good training practice, with practical tips on how to make learning interesting and fun whilst getting the learning across to all types of people and learning styles.

Quality Management Bundle

The Quality Management Bundle includes the following templates; Corrective & Preventive Action Report, Internal Audit Report, Internal Quality Audit, Management Review Agenda and a Non Conformance Register.

Staff Training Matrix

(£22.00 + vat when purchased separately)

A detailed training matrix which covers management and care staff and includes an induction process example for customers to edit to reflect their own induction methods. The training matrix does not need to be completed but you do need to submit the blank template with your application.

Does your package include support with the completion of my CQC registration application? Yes, we act as mentors so a “doing with” as opposed to a “doing for” approach. We do not complete the application for you but act as mentors to guide you through the process. This is important because the registration inspector uses the information to plan the fit person interview and remembering your own words is much easier than remembering someone else’s.

Does your package include help with preparing for my CQC interview? Yes, business support hours are included in both packages.

Does the Care Agency Package include a Business Plan Template? Yes, in the enhanced package.

Does the Care Agency Package include a Training Matrix? Yes, in the enhanced package.

Does the Business Startup Package include a Statement of Purpose Template? Yes, in both packages.

Does the Care Agency Package include financial projection guidance? Yes, in both packages.

How much is the Business Startup Package?

The Care Agency Start-up packages are excellent, cost effective solutions for starting up your business.

Why Choose W&P’s Care Agency Package

The Start up Team of Advisors have over 100 years of experience in the Adult Care Sector as owners, directors and managers of services. Our experience and knowledge of the sector is pooled to enable us to tailor our advice and guidance to suit your needs.

[ MORE ABOUT US ]

Call our team on 01305 767104 or Request a Call Back

As part of our support service to customers, we offer an initial telephone consultation of 30 minutes duration to assist you in your purchase decision. After, purchase, we offer an informal “perspective” view on any issue where you feel you might benefit from a “different view” on a specific situation such as contract monitoring, inspection queries, personnel or safeguarding.

Fill in the form below and we will call you back.

What is 2 add 3?

Home-based provider locations in domiciliary care

A look at health and social care regulation: introducing the regulations

A look at health and social care standards and regulations

How do I start my own Care Business: Starting up the right way

Call w&p on 01305 767104.

Domiciliary Care Company

PRICING AND INFORMATION

All in one place

We offer a wide range of services to help you kick-start your domiciliary care business, the right way.

Beautiful design

We are capable to build modern looking brands, this includes website, logo, and documentation. Your business will stand out for sure.

One to One coaching

Each project is unique and we sit down with our clients and give them ideas, advice and coach them for a better outcome.

Customer Satisfaction

We have 100% customer satisfaction rate because we are not rushing. We only complete a project when the client is happy.

Are you looking to start a Domiciliary Care Agency? Let us do the first (and the most important) steps in your business.

Below is a list of services that we offer to help you kick-start your business.

You can select the services that you need. 

WEBSITE + SEO

• 5 to 10 pages
• Google Analytics
• Chat capabilities
• Contact form
• Online job application form
• GDPR Compliant

Website Hosting

• 99.9% up time
• Free SSL Certificate (the lock)
• Unlimited storage
• for 100.000 visits a year
• Fast loading time

Professional email addresses

• Up to 100 email accounts
• 1GB storage per account
• 99.99% up time
• Installation support on your devices

Google Business Profile

• Account setup
• Account verification
• Map (directions)
• Call button
• Website button
• Branded with your logo
• Professional design
• Can be dowloaded from the website
• Word and PDF format

Job Application Form

• Full staff information
• Your contact details in the footer

Business Plan

• 3 years forecast
• Business profile
• Turnover calculation
• Profit/Loss calculation

Staff contract

• Terms and conditions
• Legal requirement
• Editable template

Staff Handbook

• With your logo
• Legal information
• Outlines company policies
• Staff acknowledgement page

Terms & Conditions

• Cancellation policy
• Payment policy
• Word format (editable)

Interview Forms x3

• Care Assistant
• Senior Care Assistant

Reference Forms

• Reference request letter
• Reference request form
• Research for your area
• Weekdays/Weekends rates
• Day/Night rates

Invoice Template

• Payment details
• Invoice number
• Add unlimited entries
• Simple and clean design

Policies and Procedures

• Copyright in the footer
• Monthly updates
• In line with the latest legislation
• Share with your staff
• Over 300 policies
• CQC compliant
• COVID-19 policy
• Download PDF

Staff Profile

• Name of the Staff Member
• Contact details
• Training details
• COVID-19 Vaccines

Mileage Form

• Track Your staff Mileage
• Word Format(editable)

Staff Feedback Form

• Track Your Staff Performance
• Gain Trust from Clients

Accident/Incident Investigation Report

• Keep your business safe

Care Templates

• Care needs covered
• Risk Assessments
• Daily Charts
• Editable templates

New Client Assessment

• Service User's Profile
• Medical History
• Clinical Needs
• Mental Health Needs
• Covid-19 Status

Short Video Presentation

• Your business presentation
• Area covered

Logo design and Branding

• Professional logo
• Unlimited reviews
• Brand colour selection
• 2 logo variations
• Dark and Light background
• jpg, pdf, png and vector format

Staff badge design

• Your logo applied
• Brand colours
• Support with printing

Social Media Accounts

• "Follow us" on your website
• Business description
• Business contact details
• 4 branded posts
• Double sided
• Stunning design
• Full colour
• Premium gloss finish
• Delivered to your door

Business Cards

• QR code to your website
• Quality Paper

Headed Letter

Compliment slip, email signatures.

• Professional Design
• Your contact details
• Links to social media
• A must for any business
• Remote setup

Business Registration

• Fast and Secure
• Confidentiality
• Private Ltd.
• Correct setup

Virtual Landline

• 5 min to install and ready to use
• £40 (+VAT) Setup fee
• No actual landline phone
• Transfer all calls to a mobile
• Calls will ring an app on your mobile phone
• You can ring back using the landline number
• 0333 number
• Record branded voicemails
• Never miss a call
• Out of hours message

CQC Mock Inspection

• Responsive?

Statement of Purpose

• We write it for you
• 3-5 reviews
• Your services

Coaching Webinar

• Minimum 2 hours
• We cascade our knowledge
• Learn how to run your business
• Zoom webinar
• Ask us any question
• How to increase your chances
• Decide if this business is for you

CQC Registered Manager application and interview guide

• Questions CQC may ask
• The process of application
• Step by step
• Tips to pass interview
• What you need to prepare

Listed on our website

• Found on Google
• More chances to be found as a business

Total: £5,272 (+VAT)

£6,326.4 (vat incl.), each item in the starter pack can be sold separately., the timescale of completion for the full starter pack: 4 to 6 weeks., additional services, website maintenance.

• Includes Website and Email
• Fixing errors
• Update Plugins
• Monitoring for downtime
• Optimisation
• Increase brand awareness
• 3 posts per week
• 3 social media platforms
• Accounts monitoring
• Monthly Payments
• Business is covered

Tender Sourcing

• Finding contracts
• Specialised tendering platforms
• Account Creation
• Regular checks
• Setting up alerts
• The second contract will be sourced for less

Tender Application

• Over 90% success rate
• Full Support
• We will apply on your behalf
• Documents checked before submitting
• Advise if tender is suitable
• Add your logo
• Uniform included
• Select your uniform
• Full colour embroidery
• Free delivery

CQC Registration

• We have all the CQC required forms
• Application via the CQC Portal
• Minimising the risk of being declined
• CQC Interview guide
• Ongoing support during registration
• If declined, we apply again

Advertising Banner

• Custom size
• Outdoor or indoor
• High Quality
• Wind resistant

Home Care Software

• Add clients and staff
• Staff App included
• Staff can record care via the app
• Electronic time sheet
• Automatic mileage tracking

Accountancy Services

• Trusted Tax and Business Advise
• Annual Financial Accounts preparation and tax returns
• Book-keeping, VAT Making Tax Digital (MTD)
• Payroll Services Real Time Information (RTI)
• Setup monthly meetings
• Online Services

Promotional Products

• Water bottles
• Stand-up Banners

Have you got any questions?

Contact Page

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