Home health care work can be one of the most rewarding things you do with your time and earn an income at the same time. The nature of this work is such that you will be working with vulnerable and elderly adults who are no longer capable of performing daily tasks to their full capacity. Some of your tasks may involve administering medication, shopping, cooking, general household work, engaging the client in cognitive activities, dressing and grooming and so much more. If starting a home care business sounds like something you’d like to do, then this post is for you.
Starting a private home care business? Follow These Steps:
1. Register with the CQC
Registering with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) will be your first step in the process of establishing your business in home health care services. Although this may take a while to organise, it’s the first and foremost step you need to take. As part of the CQC registration process, you will need to either nominate a Registered Manager or you’ll need to register as such a manager yourself, given that you have the right qualifications.
As next steps, you will need to undertake a Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check, which will prove that you’re able to work with vulnerable adults. You will also need to provide references from previous employers, provide a reference from your GP to prove that you’re healthy and fit to provide the service, fill in the right CQC registration form, apply to be the Registered Manager (if you choose to go this route) and you also need to create a statement of purpose which contains all the details of your business. You can get a template for this from the CQC itself.
2. Choose your legal entity
The next step is to choose your business structure. Will you operate as a sole trader, a limited company or as a franchise? With franchising, much of the preparation and registrations are taken care of for you so you are not starting completely from scratch. There are significant benefits to starting your own home health care business this way.
3. Create your business plan
You will also need to create your business plan. This is something that will be useful when you are looking to finance your operations. (For more on this, see below). The typical information that goes into a business plan includes an executive summary, financial projections and forecasts, marketing and advertising strategies and plans, employee and hiring policies and requirements/needs, the nature of the services you’ll be providing, the costs of each service, etc.
4. Drafting policies and procedures
You will also need to draft policies and procedures for your staff to ensure that all services are carried out in a standardised way, while maintaining the dignity of your clients and helping resolve their problems or helping them with tasks at home.
5. Undertaking training
You also need to ensure that your staff undertakes the necessary training and obtains the right certifications within a 12 week period from starting working with you. While some of the requirements by the CQC have fallen away in terms of the necessary academic training, others are compulsory, especially for the role of the Registered Manager.
6. Purchasing insurance
Insurance will be an important prerequisite for your business because of the very nature of the work and services you will be performing. From administering medication to helping with mobility, there are some situations which could lead to legal claims against your business and for this reason, you need to consider obtaining insurance that encompasses the following types of claims under one umbrella cover: public liability insurance, professional indemnity insurance, employers’ liability insurance, medical malpractice cover, treatments liability insurance and others.
7. Funding and financing
You will also incur a variety of types of expenses when you purchase either a home care business for sale or a home care franchise for sale. These may include rental and office space, vehicles for professional use, equipment and hardware such as computers, uniforms for your staff, accounting and business software and more.
8. Hiring staff
Hiring the right team for your business will be important as they’ll not only need the right qualifications but also be of sound mind and of good physical health to perform the tasks required.
9. Securing contracts and new clients
You can choose to apply for tenders to help you secure more clients or, if you go the franchise route, your clients will already be available for you. This leads us to the next point: marketing and advertising.
10. Marketing and advertising
Apart from the need to establish a website so that your clients can find you more easily, you’ll also need to be findable on Google My Business. You will also want to ensure you have a social media presence, and that you compete with others using pay per click (PPC) advertising to attract new clients and draw them to your website’s landing page.
Start your private home care business today!
Ultimately, running a home care franchise, while it will require some of the steps mentioned above, it’s the recommended route to take when you’re considering starting a home health care business. The business plan will already be established, leading you to have better chances of securing funding. You will also get support for your marketing and advertising efforts. Choosing your business structure is one of the most important decisions to make and franchising is really the proven and profitable option for getting started without the hassle of beginning from scratch.
