There are an estimated 350,000 older adults and over 76,000 younger people currently receiving home-based care, and expectations that this is only set to increase. Around 24% of all home care revenues relate to self-funded or private home care, forecast to rise to 49% for younger age groups – creating opportunities for investors, business leaders and new franchisees to develop successful, valued and sustainable community care services.
However, delivering the right types and structures of home care is vital, particularly within regions with unique demographics and where new services are dependent on meeting local needs. With that in mind, we’ve shared some guidance and advice that applies to all new Guardian Angel Carers territories, which should help steer your decision-making.
Assessing Market Demand and Home Care Needs Within a Localised Area
The first step is to conduct research and analytics because every region, city or area may vary considerably in terms of average ages, population density, availability of hospital or residential care settings, and the home care services that will be genuinely valued and needed.
While there is no set template, and this could look very different between, for instance, an inner-city urban area and a rural home care team, new territories need to think about what they can offer that will match demand or which services are in the greatest shortage.
Examples might include:
- Specialist care support, particularly where there is little or no existing provision, such as respectful, compassionate dementia care or dedicated palliative care, where the nearest services or centres are some distance away.
- Ongoing live-in care, vital for communities with older adult populations and for whom there are limited or no residential care spaces, or variable access to other home-based support systems.
- Flexible visiting care, creating varied support where families and loved ones can request domiciliary, personal care or respite care according to their needs.
Identifying trends and competitors is important not solely to ensure the success of a new home care territory but also to guarantee that the care offered matches the needs within the community or region and adds real value to the lives of care recipients and their families.
National Trends in Home Care Shortages and Post-Hospital At-Home Support
One interesting aspect of home care is that, according to Homecare Association research, there is a consistent and pressing need for more care services nationally. While this will certainly vary by region, a staggering 54% of providers reported delivering less care in a report compiled in 2023.
The analysis also found that:
- General demand for home care had grown 74%, with a rise of 64% in areas with higher needs for at-home support for individuals being discharged from hospital.
- Around 71% of existing care providers experienced difficulties meeting these needs due to the extra time needed to create personalised, effective post-hospital care packages.
- Over half, or 56%, of home care agencies reported challenges with demand for more complex post-hospital care and stated that NHS-commissioned services were eating into their capacity.
Understanding the statistics and shifting trends is vital for new home care teams since a newly formed franchise can refer to this data to ensure they are positioning themselves accordingly, whether adding resources and staffing allocations to provide extra post-hospital support or focusing on care planning systems that are efficient, effective and faster to deploy.
Why Regions With Older Average Populations Have Great Home Care requirements
There are two correlations in areas of the UK where there is significant unmet demand for home care: older populations and shortages in home care or alternative services.
When we establish a new territory and liaise with a prospective franchisee, these considerations are front of mind. We ensure we have certainty that there is an existing lack of support that we can help with and that there are sufficient families actively looking for care assistance to make the service viable.
Areas like North Norfolk and Rother are good examples. They have the highest proportions of residents aged 65 or above, with 34% and 32%, respectively, of people past retirement age.
Although older average populations don’t necessarily mean that a significant percentage of local families will require home care, they are a good indication that variable, efficient, and friendly visiting care services will be welcomed or that there is space to augment current provisions and broaden access to at-home care support.
Home care franchises can also refer to data that illustrates the regions with the biggest gaps in care provision and where additional home-based assistance may be vital to safeguarding the well-being of vulnerable individuals and families, especially where there are few or no competitors or providers meeting these needs.
The Importance of Tailoring Home Care Services to Communities
At its core, home care improves the rights of local people, partners and families to remain independent, safe and well cared for at home, without any pressure to sell a property or transition to residential care if this isn’t needed, wanted or necessary.
Here at Guardian Angel Carers, our position is always to first consult and consider what each local community might need and then use that as a baseline to determine the types of care that will be beneficial.
This attention to detail is a big part of our rapid expansion over recent years, where each team is locally owned and managed by a forward-thinking franchisee, creating a network with shared values, ambitions and goals that uses a personalised approach to designing care systems that work.
When you understand pressures, shortages and demand in the area, have a good grasp of the challenges and complexities of accessing high-quality home care, and know where your services could stand to improve this, you have a far better chance of setting up a successful, much-needed home care territory that will prove sustainable in the long-term. Get in touch with Guardian Angel Carers to start your journey in at-home care.