As businesses around the world face the challenging times ahead, Nurse Next Door Home Care Services Franchise Partners are incredibly lucky to be playing a vital role in providing essential services to those who feel most vulnerable right now.
Matt Fitton, Nurse Next Door’s Master Franchisor in Australia said: “Our 24 hour call centre has recorded a 40 percent increase in requests for care in the past couple of weeks and enquiries are growing daily. Families are finding themselves unable to care for loved ones for fear of infection, facilities and residential care options are overwhelmed, hospitals are reaching out to home care providers for assistance in sending people home safely. Now, more than ever, the safest place to be is in the home.”
Matt notes the increase in demand is being paired with increased support and communication from Nurse Next Door HeartQuarters, to ensure all franchise partners are supported to understand and cope with the daily, and sometimes hourly, changes to the structure of their service.
Regardless of COVID-19, Matt says, there is a growing demand for support in the home. Ninety percent of the over 65s want to age at home. The NDIS has revolutionised access to disability services in the home and people are seeking greater choice and control about when, where and how to get the support they need to remain at home.
“Amber and I often say that the real opportunity of the Nurse Next Door franchise model is the ability of an entrepreneur, who is passionate about making a difference in their community, to combine their local knowledge with the strength of Nurse Next Door’s world class systems and a highly regarded brand. As a franchise system we understand how to scale and Nurse Next Door has been able to move immediately to provide the additional support to each and every franchise partner to deal with COVID-19 to enable them to deliver increased levels of service.”
Matt says “What we are witnessing right now, is the true benefit of being a part of a franchise system.” As an example, Matt says, Nurse Next Door has implemented a 24 hour clinical task force and a daily system-wide call, with 150+ global franchise partners, during which the clinical team ensures everyone is on the same page with the changing environment. The call is also a daily opportunity for each Franchise Partner a chance to raise individual local issues that can then be solved as a system or taken off line for further advice.
Recruitment processes, Matt adds, are a focus of the franchise system from the very first training session to ongoing performance coaching, so as the demand for services increases, Franchise Partner’s are simply ramping up their usual processes.
Having recently awarded their first franchise to a Partner on the Gold Coast, new enquiries continue to remain strong. With continued interest across Queensland and New South Wales, the current COVID-19 situation and subsequent economic impact does not appear to be having a negative effect on people’s curiosity for becoming a franchise partner in this sector.
“A successful franchise model,” Matt says, “is fundamentally about strong systems that can support the individual franchise partner. With a single-minded purpose, clear culture and a strong brand, franchise partners can easily align with the franchisor and work together to grow a strong business.
“Amber and I truly believe people can stay in their homes, and we are passionate about making lives better. That’s it. Right now, more than ever, there’s a real opportunity for people to get involved in a business that can truly make a difference. There will be continued demand even after the current pandemic situation stabilises. We’re looking forward to the continued growth of Nurse Next Door in Australia, to awarding more franchises, and ultimately to supporting more people in their homes.”