set up by a former care worker and established in 2001, originally on a part-time basis, this independent nursing and care agency has grown rapidly to become the leading agency operating on the berkshire/surrey border. This business specialises in the supply of temporary health care staff primarily to nursing and residential homes for the elderly. Built around an outstanding reputation for quality of care, reliability and high levels of service – at reasonable and affordable prices, this business has accumulated a small but very loyal client base that is mainly focussed around local authority facilities. Many local homes consider this business to be their unofficial ‘preferred’ supplier. On any particular day it will have between ten and twenty carers out in the field, working up to a total of 200 shifts per week at peak times. Working from a home office environment and therefore easily absorbed into a larger care agency infrastructure, this business has built up an excellent database of carers who can be called upon to cover any available shift at any time – all of whom have high levels of experience in their field and are trained to execute their tasks effectively and efficiently. Once placed, carers are frequently called back time and time again to the same assignments, a reflection not only of the calibre of the staff provided but also of the long term relationships developed with its clients by the business owners. The management of the business is no less impressive – communicative, accessible, always readily available, accommodating and flexible enough to deal with any last minute problems or changes in requirements. This is a very well established business with a loyal customer base. With turnover for the financial year ending july 2008 of almost £790,000 generating gross profits of £207,000 and a pre-tax net operating profit of £132,000 after directors remunerations, this represents a significant opportunity for an existing care agency to extend their coverage in the sector or a new entrant into the sector to secure a well established, highly reputable and well known operator in the local marketplace. Customer service: this agency prides itself on the speed of its response to client requirements and the quality of the candidates it provides. All candidates are tried and trusted and interviewed personally to find the best match to client requirements. Detailed references are taken up, qualifications are verified and most importantly all staff undergo mandatory enhanced crb checks as required by law. Key strengths: this business has enjoyed steady growth throughout its many years of operation – mainly due to its deserved, longstanding relationships with its clients. This business also has excellent relationships with the leading recruitment specialist to which its clients have outsourced the management of its human resources. Whilst it has contracts in place it is also considered to be the unofficial, ‘preferred supplier’ for some homes and hospitals as a result of the high quality service it has always provided. It has an excellent database of carers. Mainly from outside the uk, in this country to work, earn money and less interested in days off, the carers, the vast majority of which work exclusively for this business, are very reliable, flexible and generally available for even the most unsociable of hours including weekends and bank holidays. As a result this business is always able to accommodate even the most demanding of schedules and last minute requirements. With constant work available, its carers are loyal and reliable – which ensures the business is able to provide consistency in personnel on a regular basis. Key opportunities: there is an outstanding opportunity to build on the existing services and customer base of this business. With a strong demand for its services, a new owner contributing fresh ideas and investment in resources will have every advantage of building on an excellent platform. Substantial growth has already been achieved largely by ‘trading’ on the current client list. There is no doubt that further substantial growth can be achieved in this way – additional opportunities are constantly available from within the client base of this company which this business in its current form is unable to fulfil. Furthermore, there is every opportunity to re-approach previous clients with which this business has had excellent relationships in the past, but which have lapsed, mainly due to their distance away from the core operating area of this business. Marketing and advertising: well established and with an excellent reputation within the local area the business has little need for heavy investment in marketing and advertising. The business recruits via adverts in free magazines in countries from which it recruits carers and occasionally uses direct mail to approach care homes to come on board. The business has a single ‘holding page’ website and it is possible that investment in this area, including some online advertising, would increase the profile of the business to potential carers and clients. By far the most effective form of marketing for this business however is the strong word of mouth recommendations the business enjoys – amongst carers and clients - testimony to the excellent reputation the business enjoys throughout the industry.
