The UK care industry employs 1.6 million people, and this is expected to grow as our population ages. It is also a significant contributor to the economy, adding £55.7 billion per year to the economy in England. It is, in this growing sector, that Care Choice NW operates.
Shauna Barton set up Wigan-based Care Choice NW in 2015 along with her mother. Shauna had worked in care since 2007 and had managed another care provider. On finding that her ideas for growing the provider did not match with the owners, Shauna and her mother set up on their own. We talked to her about her journey growing her business from three employees to 250.
Early Years of Care Choice
In January 2016, Wigan Council announced a reshaping of the care model to the Home Ethical Homecare Framework and invited Care Choice to tender for it. Despite having no prior experience with tenders, Shauna (pictured here) knew it was the right opportunity for her.
Shauna sought help online and found GM Business Growth Hub, where Bob Dackiw, a Business Advisor, recommended a course on writing tenders. This course provided valuable pointers and helped Shauna understand the Council's tender specifications.
“I'd never done a tender before. I wasn't that business minded, and it was just a really good starting point for us to understand what the Council wanted from the specifications of the tender. And you know what? We won the tender and took over Standish, a town in the borough of Wigan, and we still have Standish now eight years later!”
Growing a business that cares
Care Choice continued to grow, taking on three individuals needing 24-hour coverage in 2018 and 2019. In 2020, they supported another struggling provider in Wigan by transferring 600 hours of home care, eventually taking over the entire 1,800 hours just before the COVID-19 lockdown. They’ve gone on to win more tenders for Supported Living and two extra care facilities.
“I have always been in caring before I opened this business. When they gave us an opportunity to take on three individuals that needed 24-hour coverage, we went into that, which was a terrific opportunity. But I wasn't just thinking about our business. I thought about the community and the service the people in the community needed.”
In 2018, Care Choice became the first care provider in Wigan to go digital. This allowed for online communication with families and streamlined incident reporting and updates. The digital system also ensured compliance with legislative changes.
“It went great! It was in 2018, and we were the first care provider in Wigan to go digital. Everything is done online. We can communicate with families who may live in London or across the world in Australia. We can share the magic code, which is all data protected, and they can see how their loved ones are being supported.”
Expansion and Future Plans
From a team of three, Care Choice has grown to 250 staff. And for the first time, Care Choice are looking to expand their services outside of Wigan, taking their excellent community focused care with them and providing job opportunities and career development for more staff.
“I feel it’s the right time to start branching out. And you know it gives all the people job opportunities and careers as well. That's what we want, we want people to have that journey of progress and personal development.”
Support from GM Business Growth Hub
Bob Dackiw helped Care Choice with company structure and finance, even helping them ensue timely payments from commissioners. Now, Geeta Shikotra (pictured with Shauna), another Business Advisor, is currently assisting with restructuring the company and implementing a new system for managers.
Shauna believes more people should be aware of the Hub's offerings, as it has been instrumental in Care Choice's growth and success.
“I always recommend GM Business Growth Hub to other people who set up their own businesses. I think it needs be spread out more. People setting up their own businesses may not realise the support is there, like at first, I didn't realise.
“I would definitely recommend The Hub... and I have, to loads of different companies!”
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