Darshan Vora

Darshan Vora had set the wheels in motion to open his Right at Home franchise in North London when the Covid-19 pandemic put a grinding halt to his plans.

Determined not to give up, he waited almost a year to get the green light from National Office to start things up again, and his patience paid off when he finally got the keys to RaH Camden, Hampstead and Golders Green in July 2021.

Nearly three years on, Darshan says that, if anything, the pandemic validated his ambitions to start a business that would not only make a positive difference to the lives of people who need care and support but have a lasting impact on those working in the homecare sector.

Discovering Right at Home

Darshan was working as a finance director for one of the world’s largest marketing agencies, Merkle, when he realised he was destined for a different career path.

It was early 2019 and, having recently become a father for the first time, he found himself drawn to a life away from the corporate world.

“I was on track for a promotion, and I was concerned that if I carried on working my way up the career ladder, I would have to put in more and more overtime, and I didn’t want that for my family,” Darshan says.

He discovered the homecare sector in October that year, whilst holidaying in Turkey.

“My wife and I had recently met some friends from our NCT class. They were Franchise Owners for another large homecare brand and were telling me all about their work while we were away,” Darshan recalls.

“They definitely didn’t sell their business to us – they explained that a lot of their time was spent supporting carers who have housing issues and debt, and how local authorities don’t pay enough to cover the cost of care. But something inside of me made me think ‘I could do that’.

“Care provision is often seen as a thankless task, and I thought I could play a part in changing the narrative around the sector by being a good, ethical employer who values their staff.”

The conversation with his new friends also triggered Darshan’s memories of caring for elderly neighbours and relatives in his early years.

“I’ve always had a bond with the elderly. My parents and I lived on an estate in London and would often surprise our neighbours with a bag of groceries,” Darshan explains.

“My mum was also a volunteer carer and on the weekends she’d take me along with her to provide companionship to her clients.”

Darshan began to research the homecare sector when he landed back in the UK and almost immediately discovered that RaH was the right company for him.

“I’m quite a decisive person so it only took a month to figure out my next steps. I spoke to all the big franchisors, but Right at Home stood out during those initial conversations,” he says.

“Kate [Dilworth, Head of Network Development] had a genuine interest in why I wanted to open a care business. She also spoke about the challenges I could face and asked if I was ready for them. She didn’t try to sell the business to me and that really appealed.”

Darshan met with RaH Chairman Ken Deary and CEO Lucy Campbell in December 2019 and together they came up with a plan to open a new franchise the following September.

Little did they know that the Covid-19 pandemic was just around the corner.

Pandemic pause

“It was May 2020 when I received a call from Ken, who told me not to quit my job just yet,” Darshan recalls.

“He said, ‘you’ve got a young family, you don’t want this pressure and uncertainty. Save a bit more money and when the time is right, we’ll press on’. So that’s what I did.”

Around eight months later, Darshan was finally able to get his business plans back on track.

“By that point, the vaccination programme was rolling out, there were good PPE measures in place and the Right at Home network was witnessing growth,” he says.

Asked whether he ever had second thoughts about opening a RaH franchise during the lockdown period, he says: “No, I’d made my mind up, it was just a question of timing. I wanted to do something fulfilling that my family could be proud of. I also wanted to leave my children a financial legacy, and what better business to leave them than a care business?”

Darshan used his time wisely during the pandemic, building a bigger savings pot and even making friends with franchisees from the RaH network.

“They were faring really well during the pandemic and were optimistic about the future,” he says.

“This further validated my decision to open a RaH business. I thought that if a company can grow during a pandemic, then it must be resilient.”

Award-winning start-up

Darshan moved into his RaH office in Golders Green in August 2021. By the following November, he had a Registered Manager on board and together they submitted their CQC registration.

“We received our trading licence and started operating in March,” says Darshan. “It took another three months to land our first Client, but the business really took off from there.”

Less than a year later, RaH Camden had 26 Clients on its books and was delivering nearly 700 hours of care per week, a milestone the team had not expected to reach until year three of their business plan. 

This achievement was recognised in September 2023, when the business received a RightStart accolade at RaH’s annual Celebration Awards.

“We were more than a year ahead of our financial plan, so we were smashing those targets,” Darshan recalls.

But it wasn’t just RaH Camden’s revenue growth that impressed the judging panel, it was also their community engagement work and positive workplace culture.

“We set up a Memory Café quite quickly and I volunteered for Jewish Care and Dementia Club UK. I also became a treasurer for a charity that provides services for vulnerable women in Camden. So, I think all those things stood out to the panel,” explains Darshan.

Darshan’s early ambitions to become an employer of choice in his community were also put into practice at the beginning of his business journey.

“We became a London Living Wage employer from the outset and put an Employee Assistance Programme in place,” he explains.

Darshan has also sponsored two overseas care professionals.

“They were working for us part-time, and we learned that the agencies who sponsored them weren’t giving them the hours they needed and so they were struggling to make ends meet,” he says.

“They work so hard, and I felt like I owed it to them, and to my clients, to bring them in fulltime, so I went through the process of getting a sponsorship licence. Those carers now have a five-year visa.”

Today, Darshan continues to prioritise his workforce, for the benefit of the entire business.

“We’re in a sector where our employees are our most important assets, and if we don’t look after them, everything will fall apart,” he says.

“I also have a policy where I always try to fill vacancies from within. If you can find the people with the right mindset and the right attitude, then you can coach them to progress and thrive in their roles.”

Future ambitions

RaH Camden has witnessed continued growth in 2024 and is on track to deliver 800 hours of care per week by the end of the year.

But Darshan isn’t about to rest on his laurels. On the contrary, he has big plans for his business to become a nurse-led complex care provider – a first for the RaH network.

“We’re working with the compliance team at National Office to change our registration, so it not only includes personal care but also TDDI – treatment for disease, disorder and injury,” he explains.

“We already provide clinical care services, after receiving training from RaH’s Clinical Lead, but I want to take this a step further and offer our CareGivers even more learning and development opportunities.

“I’m currently recruiting for an in-house nurse, and we hope to kickstart our training in complex care this year.”

Family time

Looking back at the start of his RaH journey, Darshan longed for a better work-life balance.

But, after all the hours he has put in to building his homecare franchise, has he been able to achieve this?

“I must admit, it’s been full on. Shortly after hiring my registered manager and we were in the midst of recruiting CareGivers, my second child was born. So that period was challenging,” Darshan says.

“But the answer is yes - I’ve been able to step back and spend more time with my family. I do most of the school drop offs and pickups and even though I’m always available on the phone, I never work weekends. So that work-life balance is possible – you just need to have the right team and processes in place.”

To find out more about how Right at Home could be the right fit for you, call Kate for a friendly chat on 0151 305 0755 or contact franchising@rightathome.co.uk   

Darshan Vora 

Owner, Right at Home Camden, Hampstead and Golders Green