Former Army Officer Andrew Davis joined Right at Home UK as the owner of our Bournemouth & Poole franchise 13 years ago. Here, he reflects on his proudest moments, his greatest challenges, the evolution of the RaH network and his latest role in supporting the franchisor to drive positive improvements across the organisation.

Rewarding career

As one of the longest-serving Franchise Owners in the RaH network, Andrew Davis knows more than most how rewarding running a care business can be. Making a positive difference to people’s lives is what draws most budding entrepreneurs to this role and drives them towards growth and continued success.

“I was attracted to the homecare sector because I wanted to do something that made me feel good about the value I was adding to the lives of others – and it certainly does,” Andrew says.

“When we help a Client get out into the community, for example, the feedback from their loved ones is that they are so much brighter and chatty, with a renewed sense of purpose. We had one gentleman who had stopped building his model railway, but with a little encouragement from us, he revisited his beloved hobby. This job is about more than care provision – it’s about persuading people of the possibilities that exist, even if they think they’re a little too old or out of their depth.”

Andrew has also enjoyed seeing his team develop and progress in their careers. “I’m really proud of how many carers we have got through various qualifications. Developing your people and strengthening the professional status of the social care workforce is really important for recruitment and retention,” he says.

“And we always aim to promote from within. One of our former CareGivers, Natalie, progressed to become a Care Coordinator and was promoted to the role of Registered Manager 18 months ago.”

Andrew continues: “I aim to be an employer of choice in my local area, and I think by and large I’ve achieved that, in terms of paying people a decent wage and providing a really good work environment. There’s an old saying about training people so that they’re good enough to leave but treating them in such a way that they stay, and I firmly believe in that.”

Overcoming challenges

As with any business, owning and operating a RaH franchise doesn’t come without its challenges.

So while Andrew's seen some big achievements – such as RaH Bournemouth & Poole being rated Outstanding by the Care Quality Commission in 2019 and named in the Top 10 20 Homecare Providers in the South West for four consecutive years – he and his team have also faced some bumps in the road.

“Due to the rise of inflation, we have put our prices up, and although this has enabled us to increase our wages and boost our employment proposition, Clients have become more price sensitive in recent years,” Andrew explains.

This challenge has meant that the franchise has had to work hard to demonstrate the quality services that it offers to potential Clients and how it stands out from other homecare providers in the local area.

“Our greatest ambassadors are the people we care for and their families, who leave us fantastic reviews, but we’ve really had to engage with the community and wake people up to the fantastic things we are doing, and I know we can do better in this area,” Andrew admits.

“For example, we offer a service where we organise online deliveries, GP and hospital appointments and prescriptions and we don’t charge for that – it’s all part of the wraparound service.”

In the early days, Andrew also faced issues with performance in his team, due to “a failure to set out clearly defined roles and responsibilities.”

He says: “When we first started, I was sometimes guilty of throwing a job description at someone and expecting them to do it. I soon realised that identifying and playing to people’s strengths was key to getting the best out of them.

“For instance, some of our senior carers are better suited to supervising staff, recruiting and doing the usual checks, while others have more of a bent toward Client care and doing the risk assessments etc. So, we changed our job descriptions to cover both of these areas.”

National Office evolution

One of the biggest benefits of franchising with RaH UK is being able to access ongoing support from an established brand and successful business model.

For Andrew, he has seen this support evolve and greatly improve over the years as National Office has grown from a small team of three in 2010, to over 30 department specialists today.

“It’s evolved beyond recognition,” Andrew explains. “When I first joined the network, the National Office team was not much bigger than an individual franchise, but now there are groups of specialists in areas such as marketing, recruitment and compliance who are there to guide you and take away your biggest pain-points.”

So, what expert guidance has Andrew and his team received from National Office, particularly during his most challenging periods?

“I’m currently recruiting for a Deputy Manager and the support from the recruitment team has been invaluable. They’ve advised on everything from how to create an advert to what the salary should be,” he explains.

“Arguably, I could have researched how to do this myself, but this would have taken a lot of time. The team at National Office just knew what was required and gave me some really tangible advice.”

Andrew continues: “The other thing we do is sponsor people to come from abroad. The bureaucracy involved is quite tedious and frustrating, but the guidance from National Office means you get to cut out so much wasted time because they know how to get stuff done.

“And when I’ve put my prices up, I have a business support person who has an overview of a number of offices and makes sure I’m not making errors or being too ambitious.

“Those are examples of support from this calendar year alone.”

As National Office has grown, so too has the network, from a single franchise in Sutton to more than 80 across the country. But Andrew believes this growth hasn’t taken away the sense of community from within the network.

“I think the franchisor has done really well in maintaining close-knit relationships between franchisees. There are around nine or 10 offices that I would comfortably call if I had an issue and thought they might have the experience or knowledge to advise me,” he says.

“One of the most underrated aspects of franchising is how much peers within a network support one another.”

To help develop these peer relationships, RaH UK hosts regular conferences, bringing the network together, and has recently introduced Blink, an internal digital communications platform which allows franchisees to share ideas and best practices.

Andrew has also helped strengthen connections between franchisees by hosting RaH’s first CareGiver Conference in the New Forest earlier this year. The event was attended by CareGivers from eight franchise offices across the south of England, who benefited from a day of shared learning.

In addition, Andrew joined the network’s Franchise Advisory Council (FAC) nine years ago and stepped up to the role of Chair in 2024.

Driving network improvements

The purpose of the FAC is to create and maintain a constructive, open line of communication between RaH UK and our Franchise Owners, ultimately assisting the Franchisor to drive positive improvements across the network.

The Council is made up of around 10 members, each chosen to represent a portfolio of Franchise Owners in their corresponding geographical areas, giving them a voice to share ideas and best practices, and keeping them informed on key matters of importance.

“I asked to be the Chairman of the council last year and was honoured when that request was accepted,” Andrew recalls.

“I believe the FAC has helped steer the network on a tolerable course through the economic and political uncertainties, supporting the franchisor and franchisees to reduce as much disruption caused by changes in legislation, for example.”

Andrew adds: “Members of the FAC offer a helpful commentary on the franchisor’s plans, informed by our own desire to innovate, and balanced by the experience we’ve all had at Right at Home. We gather insights from established and emerging franchisees, fostering a collaborative environment that fuels network-wide improvements.”

Future ambitions

Going forward, Andrew hopes to drive revenue growth and further expand his team.

“There has been a lot of change in the team, so I want to stabilise the business and I’m hoping to achieve that by September this year. It’s been a rocky couple of years, but I know we’ll come out of the other side,” he says.

“In the past, I’ve failed to plan – it’s easy to forget about strategy when you’re distracted by the day-to-day stuff – but you’ve got to maintain that forward focus, even though sometimes you're dealing with things that will affect you in the next hour, or the next day.”

He adds: “National Office has helped me put that plan together and that’s been a godsend.”

Despite the ups and downs, Andrew has no regrets about leaving his career in the Army to join Right at Home 13 years ago.

He says: “I would say it’s a more difficult landscape now, but the opportunity lies in what we do, which is providing really high-quality care that makes a difference.”

If you want to grow a business that makes a difference to people’s lives every day, Right at Home is right for you. Find out more about what it takes to join the Right at Home franchise network by calling Kate or Chrissie for a friendly chat on 0151 305 0770 or emailing franchising@rightathome.co.uk.