Growing homecare agency to create 60 jobs

A growing homecare provider, based in Blackburn, plans to create 60 new jobs in the next three years and open a second base in 2017, following support from Boost; Lancashire’s Business Growth Hub.

Ribble Homecare specialises in a range of services including personal care, dementia services and end of life care and delivers a number of local authority and local health trust contracts.

Set up in 2014, Ribble Homecare has grown quickly and registered manager Deborah Meaghan identified support was needed to help develop the structure of the company to aid future growth.

The company has been supported by Boost’s Growth Support Programme, which helps entrepreneurs develop business plans and grow their enterprises and as a result anticipates taking on 60 employees and increasing turnover to £1 million over the next three years. In 2017 they plan on opening a second base in Chorley to meet the demand for their services there.

The fully funded programme, delivered by Winning Pitch and Enterprise4all, provides help to develop a personal action plan, Lean Launchpad sessions outlining key principles for developing a new business and one-to-one coaching support for business owners.

Boost; Lancashire Business Growth Hub is led by the Lancashire LEP (Local Enterprise Partnership) and Lancashire County Council, and supported by funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).

Deborah said: “I had worked for a care agency and had experienced problems with it and the way they worked and I thought I could do a better job myself – so that’s what we did. At that time, we only had a moped to get about. Over time the district nurses and doctors could see what a good job we were doing and praised the quality of care we delivered.

“Our latest CQC report overall rating is ‘good’ which we are delighted with and now are working hard towards an outstanding result for our next inspection.

“With support from Enterprise4all we registered with the CQC and we attended the Boost workshops which were very informative and helpful. I was really impressed by everybody’s interest and eagerness to help.

“We are now receiving support to help us open a secondary location in Chorley to meet the demand for work in that area and Boost is helping us explore funding options to enable future growth.”

Rona McFall, head of entrepreneurial solutions at Winning Pitch, said: “Through the Grow How Master Classes Ribble Homecare received support to identify what it needed to do to achieve its business aspirations. Very often we hear of people unhappy in a role but who love their work and it can be a big step to set up a new business with many unknowns along the way but Ribble Homecare is just one great example of the support available from Boost and the difference accessing that support can make to a business.”

Boost has received £3.8m of funding from the England European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020. The Department for Communities and Local Government is the Managing Authority for ERDF. Established by the European Union ERDF funds help local areas stimulate their economic development by investing in projects which will support innovation, businesses, create jobs and local community regenerations.  For more information visit https://www.gov.uk/european-growth-funding.