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.
What is a Domiciliary Care Business?
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.
What Services do Domiciliary Care Offer?
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
What is a Domiciliary Care Business Plan?
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.
#1. Executive Summary
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.
#2. Company Overview
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.
#3. Market Analysis
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.
#4. Management Team
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.
#5. Services Description
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.
#6. Marketing Plan
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.
#7. Operational Plan
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.
#8. Financial Projections
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.
#9. Appendix
In this section, make sure to attach all valid documents that would validate your plan and the data you have given above.
How do I get Clients for Domiciliary Care UK?
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
What are the Advantages and Disadvantages of Domiciliary Care?
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.
What are the Mandatory Training for Domiciliary Care Workers?
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
How Long Does it Take to Train to be a Carer?
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.
Is the Care Certificate Mandatory?
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.
How Long is Care Training?
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.
Need Help Writing your Domiciliary Care Business Plan
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.
Final Thoughts
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.
FAQs
What is an example of domiciliary care?
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.
What qualifications do I need to open a care agency?
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.
How does a care agency make money?
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.
