Vicky & Paul Butler

Husband and wife team, Vicky and Paul Butler, can’t get over the success of their Right at Home business after launching on the Isle of Wight in 2021. In the space of two years, the owners have received multiple awards, built a solid reputation among their local community and achieved an Outstanding CQC rating at their first inspection.

“We still have our moments – they call it imposter syndrome,” says Paul. “We think ‘is this really us doing this?,’ especially when we win awards.”

“We are quite blown away, when we look back on the journey of the last couple of years – there’s no way we could have achieved all this without a great franchise behind us,” adds Vicky.

Why Right at Home?

So why did Vicky and Paul choose to start a franchise, as opposed to opening their own independent care business? And what was it about Right at Home that made it stand out from other networks in the sector?

“We would never have thought about getting into care on our own because neither of us are from a care background,” says Vicky. “I’ve had my own business before, but that was an accountancy practice and was something I knew.”

 

“We did look at other care companies, but nothing really grabbed us. We didn't even get past reading the information about them. They just didn’t have the same feel,” adds Vicky.

“Right at Home was the only one that related to us, and as soon as we made that call it felt brilliant, and we didn’t feel the need to look at others.”

Outstanding rating

Vicky and Paul are among the select few franchise owners in the care sector who have achieved Outstanding at their first inspection, less than 18 months into their new business. 

Right at Home currently has 34% of its CQC rated locations carrying an Outstanding rating, with a national average of just 3% across the homecare sector.

Vicky explains the secret to their success: “I think it’s not rushing growth. We took the time to get to know our Clients and our staff, and we didn’t employ just anybody for the sake of growth – we waited and employed the right people.”

Two years on from opening on the Isle of Wight, the Right at Home franchise is now booming.

 “We’re growing, we’ve got a great reputation and amazing staff, so we couldn’t ask for better,” says Vicky. “And because we’ve looked after the staff, they are happy to pick up extra shifts and support each other if they need time off.”

Listening to advice from Right at Home’s National Office was also key to the franchisees’ success.

Paul explains: “From very early on we’ve crossed all the t’s and dotted all the i’s and made sure that we’re following the robust systems that National Office has put in place.”

Community engagement

Working at the heart of their local community has also helped Vicky and Paul establish their business on strong foundations.

“We’ve got two projects, one is our Dementia Afternoon Tea Club, which is run every second Thursday of the month. This provides a safe place where people diagnosed with dementia and their families can come and meet people that are in the same situation. It has proven really successful and the last one saw 40 people turn up,” says Paul.

“Then, in April 2023, we come up with the idea of an Older Person’s Good Living Show, which is for older people who may not realise the services that are available to them.

“We had 25 stall holders, including Wiltshire Farm Foods, Dementia UK and Specsavers, and over 300 visitors. We’re planning another one next year and we’re expecting a larger turnout.”

Job satisfaction

Caring for people in their community is what Vicky and Paul enjoy the most about being Right at Home franchise owners. It’s what gives them the biggest sense of achievement.

“Some of the most rewarding moments are when one of the girls goes out with a Client and a photo comes through of them doing something together, one when we hear a Client speak so highly of their lovely CareGivers and what a difference they are making to their lives,” explains Vicky.

“The team also really appreciates the support given by us. It all feeds into one, so we look after the team, the team looks after the Clients and it’s really heartwarming. We get a different sense of satisfaction that we’ve never had from a job before because we are helping people every single day.”

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 [email protected].

Vicky and Paul Butler

Owners, Right at Home Isle of Wight