5 minute read
Home Caring: Budget Brings Good News for Home Care
BUDGet BrinGs GooD neWs for hoMe Care
Bill lockett Franchise Manager Michaela Brown Group Chief Operating Officer claire Zhang Registered Nurse, Home Caring Campbelltown Franchise Owner
If you’re looking for a solid business opportunity that aligns with government spending, one clear winner is the aged care industry – in particular, home care.
in this year’s budget, the federal government announced that it would fund 80,000 new home care packages for Australians.
These packages provide older people with much-needed care services such as shopping, housework, showering and toileting assistance, so they don’t have to move into a nursing home for support. The budget commits $7.5 billion to new packages, with 40,000 to be released in 2021-22 and another 40,000 in the following year. This is the largest ever investment into home care in Australia, designed to help older Australians live in their own homes for longer. Aside from aged care, the government is also providing record funding to the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), which helps people living with disability and their families receive individualised support. The 2021 budget commits an extra $13.2 billion to the NDIS over the next four years, as the number of people who require support increases. Currently over 430,000 people are supported by the scheme, with an average of 24,800 new participants each quarter in 2020.
the market is ripe for home care
The government’s keen investment in home care packages and the NDIS scheme, coupled with an ageing population, offers plenty of growth potential in the home care market. Recent events, such as the Aged Care Royal Commission into substandard nursing home conditions and the COVID-19 pandemic, has meant that more and more Australians are choosing to age at home, where they can live independently while staying connected to family and friends. This has opened a door for businesses to support them with high quality home care services.
Since 2015, the number of approved home care providers in Australia has been growing, especially as aged care shifts towards a consumer model where people are given choice over where they live, how they would like to receive support, and from whom. The demand, though, is still not being fully met, with close to 173,500 people having access to a home care package in 2020 and more significantly, more than 100,000 people on the waiting list. For service providers, the market is ripe with opportunity to build a successful business while helping older Australians thrive in their homes.
homecaring: a unique opportunity not to be missed
HomeCaring is looking for new partners, especially those with a professional healthcare background, to share in our success within the booming home care industry. As a registered NDIS and Aged Care provider, we provide individualised home care services to seniors and people living with a disability, helping them use their government funding in the best way possible. For franchisees who join us, we offer a unique 50/50 partnership model which means you only need to provide half the total investment; HomeCaring provides the other half. This reduces your initial investment by 50 percent, while enabling you to earn 50 percent of the profits on top of receiving a generous salary package. HomeCaring Franchise manager, Bill Lockett, says this model represents a true partnership system that is rare in the industry. “In our partnership model, an applicant can get into the business at half the price it would normally cost on the market, while our salary package takes away the stress of paying the bills so you can focus on growing their business, especially in that vulnerable first year,” says Mr Lockett. “We strongly believe in fairness above all else. A ‘true partnership’ between franchisee and franchisor shouldn’t just be rhetoric. It’s at the core of how we do business.”
HomeCaring also offers comprehensive support, so that franchisees are not in a position of having to run a business by themselves. We provide comprehensive training to help you navigate the complexities of the disability and aged care sector; ongoing operational support; a digital marketing team; platforms that enable seamless financial management and staffing, and plenty of resources to draw on.
For Sydney-based HomeCaring franchisee Claire Zhang, this support was invaluable as she grew her business and increased her client base. “When I started my business, HomeCaring head office offered me comprehensive training. I didn’t have any experience running a business,” she recalls. “They had experts in every department to train me, so I was always well-supported.”
A franchise that truly makes a difference
Business, though, isn’t only about the bottom line. As service providers, HomeCaring is proud to care for clients with passion, respect, empathy and accountability. According to HomeCaring Group Chief Operating Officer, Michaela Brown, the company’s point of difference is providing locally-based care that is completely tailored to the individual, taking into account their cultural background, language, personality and needs. “In our experience, our individualised approach makes a significant difference between just performing tasks, and actually creating high quality care and support services that improve the lives of our clients all around Australia. We don’t just tick the boxes – we do everything with compassion and attention to detail, treating the client like a real person,” says Michaela. “What’s more, we are well-placed to deliver this kind of care that is so popular with people. Our high quality services are support by a large back-end system,” she adds. “By partnering with us, you’ll be delivering the best kind of care that helps people enjoy living at home, at a time when they need it most.”
HomeCaring is currently offering suitably qualified candidates who are health professionals, particularly Registered Nurses or CNCs an opportunity to invest as low as $25,000 to partner with HomeCaring.
