An aging population and prioritization of in-home care mean that the healthcare market is ripe for franchising success. Which concepts should be on your radar?
While the healthcare franchising sector isn’t new, it’s certainly one to watch – both for families wanting the best for their older relatives, and entrepreneurs looking for a morally fulfilling way to generate income.
Some concepts not only offer in-home care, but companionship and transportation services. Like every other aspect of our lives, the latter years can now be as customized and bespoke as you’d like.
Here are the key names providing the best of the best when it comes to care.
Heritage Healthcare
Heritage Healthcare’s CEO, Glenn Pickersgill, had healthcare running through his veins long before he opened his first care home in 1984. With a family history in care, it almost seems Pickersgill was destined to build a franchise dedicated to helping those in need.
The Heritage Healthcare brand was founded in 2012, and its modest, family-orientated team is dedicated to delivering the best care solutions to clients and their families. Heritage offers everything from companionship and social support, to end of life care that puts wellbeing first.
Franchisees are valued just as highly by the brand, which ensures no stone is left unturned when onboarding new members of the Heritage Healthcare family. “We understand that embarking on a new investment venture can be a daunting prospect,” says Michelle Fenwick, director. “We have created an extensive pre-start assistance program, designed to give you a flying start. Our franchisees begin their business with a comprehensive 10-day induction course, and receive ongoing training and development.” heritagehealthcarefranchising.co.uk
Right at Home
With over 450 locations around the world – everywhere from Brazil to the Netherlands – Right at Home is a frontrunner in the international care landscape. The brand started in Nebraska in 1995, and has since grown to provide a multitude of services to thousands of satisfied clients.
Despite this, size isn’t everything. “It’s not about racing to be the biggest in the sector,” says Kate Dilworth, franchise recruitment manager, “but really focusing on quality in all aspects of the business, so we can achieve consistently strong results across the whole network.”
Right at Home offers several points of revenue for franchisees, including companionship support, dementia support, personal care, and hospital to home transition support. No job is too much, and no client is reduced to a statistic.
“Home care for us is about much more than ticking off a list of jobs that need doing in the house,” says Dilworth. “It’s about getting people out and about and enjoying life as much as they can, and enhancing their independence.” rahglobal.com
BrightStar Care
In 2019, BrightStar Care was awarded a Global Franchise Award for the Best Nursing & Care Franchise, for its ongoing contribution to, and redefining of, what it means to be a care supplier.
But the BrightStar Care story began long before this. The brand was founded in 2002 and began franchising three years later. As of 2018, BrightStar Care operated 329 locations in the U.S. and Canada.
BrightStar Care sets itself apart by not only offering in-home care and companionship services, but by also providing skilled home care when necessary – a facility that other businesses would have to turn clients over to somebody else to fulfill.
“Unlike most other companies in our industry, we do medical and non-medical care,” says Shelly Sun, founder and CEO of the brand. “It is part of the BrightStar Care mission to evolve our care as the needs of our clients change, and this makes us unique in the homecare space.”
Don’t have a background in care? You could still make an excellent franchisee: “The most important thing we look for in potential franchisees is leadership skills and passion,” says Sun. “They must be passionate and invested in what they do. Those are the essential ingredients, more so than a specific background in care.” brightstarfranchising.com
Driving Miss Daisy
Founded in New Zealand in 2009, Driving Miss Daisy offers a companion driving service for a variety of clientele; from seniors needing to pick up a prescription, to children wanting to get to and from school. The brand now operates in the U.K. and Australia, too.
“Driving Miss Daisy is unique in that we not only get people from A to B for their standard appointments,” explains Jack Harper, director, “but our carefully selected and well-trained franchisees and drivers become like surrogate daughters and sons.”
Offering more than care, Driving Miss Daisy is designed to combat loneliness among the elderly, which is one of the primary concerns facing seniors today. In light of this, franchisees must have a particular mindset to qualify them for the brand: “They need to have empathy and like helping people and contributing to their community,” says Harper, “while still wanting to build themselves a profitable business.”
Can we expect to see this personable brand in other markets soon? “Definitely,” says Harper. “We have already trademarked the 27 E.U. countries, and have no doubt that there are numerous markets that would hugely benefit from the unique Driving Miss Daisy service.” drivingmissdaisy.co.nz
Kare Plus
Kare Plus is one of the U.K.’s most established multi-service healthcare franchises, and offers franchisees – both domestic and international – a selection of revenue-generating avenues that can maximize the potential of their franchise investment. These include specialist and non-specialist nursing supply, supported living services, critical care services, and home care.
Known as “the caring company”, Kare Plus has been equipping care facilities with experienced professionals since 1989, and is on the preferred supplier list for over 60 of the U.K.’s leading healthcare providers.
While currently located primarily in the U.K., Kare Plus is keen to expand to America, Europe, and Asia, through strategic master franchise agreements. kareplus.com
