4 minute read
Homecare is where it’s happening
Demand for care is surging as the elderly population grows ever larger
The UK’s population is ageing rapidly – that’s a fact. To self-starters, it’s also an opportunity.
The figures are all there in black and white. A 2018 study by Newcastle University and the London School of Economics, for instance, stated that the over-85s are the country’s fastestgrowing demographic. By 2035, their numbers are projected to more than double.
In parallel with that, those over-85s who need daily help with tasks such as dressing or going to the toilet will almost double to 446,000, according to the report. Meanwhile, diseases such as cancer, diabetes, dementia and depression will pose a growing challenge as the number of over-65s keeps heading higher.
All the indications are that our ageing population will carry on expanding. In 2018, according to the Office of National Statistics (ONS), roughly one person in every five was aged 65 years or over. The proportion will be more like one in four by 2038.
In 2016, the ONS put the value of informal adult care at £59.5 billion a year, with about 2 million adults in the UK receiving such care.
Few would disagree that in the nearfuture, more and more of us will need complex care and assistance with daily tasks. This might be personal care, companionship, cooking, shopping, help with mobility around the home, administering medicines, cleaning, dementia care or live-in care.
It’s a challenge Caremark is ready for.
The homecare opportunity
With a network turnover of £100 million, Caremark is in the vanguard of the homecare revolution. Establishing the company in 2005, its chief executive, Kevin Lewis, foresaw a growing trend: that, given the choice of where to be cared for, most people prefer the familiarity of their own home.
When YouGov tested this proposition with a survey of 2,058 adults last September, 92% of respondents aged
65 and over agreed that “people would prefer to be supported at home, rather than a care home”. Of 100 MPs polled, 87% said the same.
To Dr Jane Townson – chief executive of the United Kingdom Homecare Association, which commissioned the survey – the results came as no surprise. “All of us want to live well at home and flourish within our communities,” she said.
“Supporting people at home benefits individuals as well as their wider community of family, friends and neighbours and reduces cost and demand for the NHS.”
Every day in England alone, there are more than a million care and support visits to people in their own homes. As a result, Caremark franchisees are well positioned to gain more clients.
Non-stop growth
Another study, released around the same time as the survey results, illustrated the ongoing rise in the number of domiciliary care staff.
The annual State of the Adult Social Care Sector and Workforce report – compiled by a strategic body for workforce development, Skills for Care – showed the number of residential care jobs drifting upwards from about 660,000 in 2012/13 to 680,000 in 2019/20.
In that period, those in domiciliary care soared from roughly 620,000 to 715,000. As Townson noted, they now represent the highest proportion (43%) of all jobs in the care sector in England.
“Homecare is where it’s happening,” she said.
The right qualities
If you have a passion for helping people in your community, Caremark offers a route into this potentially very lucrative sector.
You won’t need prior experience of care work, but you’ll have to demonstrate the ten key attributes of successful Caremark franchisees: • A genuine caring attitude towards others; • The ambition and determination to succeed; • Entrepreneurial spirit; • A willingness to take responsibility for
others as well as yourself; • A commitment to high standards; • An interest in working with people in need; • Excellent communication skills; • An appreciation of networking and business relationships; • General management skills; and • Around £35,000 available to invest.
The benefits
In return for your commitment, you’ll receive expert training that will give you the confidence to run your own business, supplemented by specialised ongoing support.
At the same time, you’ll join an exclusive community of like-minded people, sharing their ideas and experiences and encouraging you to succeed.
On pages 16-17, we’ll explain the franchising opportunity in more detail. But before that, let’s talk to the man who turned Caremark into a homecare powerhouse – and later in this supplement, some of the franchisees who’ve turned his vision into a reality.
Market and Client Needs
5m
The number of ‘informal’ carers in the UK (friends and family who are unpaid) 2
92%
Of over 65’s would prefer care to be provided at home if possible when they need care 1
6-20%
Of over 50’s say they need help with basic everyday activities such as using the stairs, housework, and shopping 3
