1. Congratulations on the double win at the Growing Business Awards! Can you tell us what it means for Care Hires to be recognised as "Online Business of the Year"?
Receiving the 'Online Business of the Year' award was a profoundly emotional moment for my Co-Founder Nizam and me. Scaling Care Hires from a vision to improve Healthcare Staffing to a nationally used platform that now supports over 17,000 care professionals and more than 1,000 Care Agencies has been an incredible journey. Our technology now instantly matches compliant care teams with care homes, processing thousands of jobs per week and knitting our care partners into what is becoming a complete ecosystem. We are immensely proud of what our team has achieved and the trust we share in the mission we are working towards. This award was not just a recognition of our growth but also of our effort to revolutionise a traditional market with technology, making a significant impact on the way things are done. Being named 'Online Business of the Year' is a great honour, affirming the value of our work and the change we're driving in the health and social care staffing sector.
2. What specific initiatives or aspects of Care Hires' online platform do you think stood out to the judges for earning the title "Online Business of the Year"?
With care providers across the UK struggling to fulfil their staffing needs, varying costs with the use of Care Agencies, and the challenge of vetting staff prior to their arrival; Care Hires has made a significant impact. We support Agencies by offering more work and enabling care teams across the UK to pick and choose shifts from our network of care homes. This flexibility and transparency is what I believe impressed the judges. Scaling to over 13,000 care professionals in just 18 months demonstrates the reach and potential of our mission, which we consider as just the beginning.
3. Care Hires also won the ‘The Bridges Positive Impact Award’. This award highlights businesses making a social impact. In Care Hires' case, how do your solutions contribute to improving the social care sector in the UK?
Our platform's compliance features ensure care homes receive the right care teams, vetted and confirmed through our technology. Care professionals benefit from clear visibility on pay and the ability to select shifts, while Agencies can manage everything from training to rota management directly through Care Hires. This out-of-the-box solution supports care homes and Providers with quality staff, transparent costs, and compliance, marking our proud impact in the social care sector by addressing critical staffing needs with full transparency.
4. The social care sector faces continuous challenges in recruiting and retaining qualified teams. How does Care Hires' platform bridge this gap and equip Care Providers with effective workforce management solutions?
Retention hinges on the quality of our service and our promise of delivery. Our platform's matching capability, providing care homes with the exact worker type and compliance details, is key to user retention. Identifying gaps in the market has allowed us to introduce additional services that digitalise manual processes within the care sector, enhancing customer retention and meeting the diverse requirements of platform usage.
5. Technology plays a central role in Care Hires' offerings. Can you share any exciting innovations or upcoming features that will further enhance the platform's capabilities?
Our launch of a Learning Management System; Care Academy for Care Agencies and Homes, alongside enhanced compliance management features, represents a significant advancement. The future of Care Hires lies in enabling Care Agencies across the UK to join our ecosystem, offering work opportunities while maintaining compliance. This all-in-one solution aims to not only increase their revenue but also manage their businesses entirely through Care Hires. For Care Providers, we offer a trusted platform that supports staffing needs and internal processes, marking just the beginning of how technology can transform social care.
6. Care Hires has experienced impressive growth over the years. What strategies have been key to your success in the competitive business landscape?
Our success is propelled by a focus on value, service, and innovation. The utility our platform provides through efficient matching and management, coupled with exceptional customer service and support, creates a loyal user base and fosters word-of-mouth referrals. Staying ahead involves working closely with our Care Agency and Care Provider partners, soliciting their feedback for rapid platform enhancements. This blend of convenience and human touch underpins our long-term partnerships and strategy to exceed expectations, affirming that adding value beyond technology is crucial for growth.
7. As Co-founder, what has been your proudest moment leading Care Hires on this successful journey?
Leading Care Hires from a bedroom project to a thriving platform that now supports over 13,000 care professionals and more than 1,000 Care Agencies marks my proudest moment. This achievement not only demonstrates our significant growth but also the real-time connection we've established between Care Homes and vetted workers, fulfilling a crucial need within the sector. Overcoming the initial challenges of launching during COVID and securing investment further validated the demand for our platform. This journey from a simple idea to a solution that profoundly impacts the healthcare staffing sector encapsulates a tremendous source of pride and reaffirms our mission's value.
8. What are some of the biggest challenges Care Hires has faced in the social care sector, and how have you overcome them?
The journey of Care Hires has been marked by several challenges typical of startups, with the foremost being the validation of our solution in the healthcare market. Understanding the precise pain points of our customers and ensuring our model's scalability were critical hurdles we needed to address. Our strategy involved closely working with our partners to grasp their needs thoroughly. Leveraging my previous experience scaling a healthtech business in the telemedicine space was invaluable in navigating these challenges. Our efforts have significantly reduced staffing costs for Care Providers, streamlined compliance through effective management of worker profiles, and introduced additional support services. These achievements have not only allowed us to scale our solution across UK Care Homes but have also transformed Care Hires into a platform that revolutionises workforce management in the social care sector.
9. What advice would you give other entrepreneurs looking to impact their industries positively?
I know how easy it is to get caught up in the day-to-day grind of running a business. But I've learned you can never lose sight of your core purpose - the human impact you want to make. My advice is to always stay grounded in the people you serve. Truly understand their needs, challenges, and experiences. Design your products and services to tangibly improve people's lives. Measure your success based on transformational change, not just revenue. Use your business as a force for good. It's challenging to run a values-driven company, but so rewarding. When you keep people at the heart of all you do, you'll find great success in positively changing your industry. Stay true to why you started in the first place.
10. Finally, if you had one message to share with individuals or organisations seeking efficient and impactful workforce management solutions in the social care sector, what would it be?
If I could offer one piece of advice, it would be this: empower your people first, then implement technology. No software can replace human compassion and judgment. So invest in professional development and leadership training alongside any new solution. Proper change management and end-user enablement are crucial. Approach tools as a means to amplify your team's skills, not replace them. At Care Hires, our mission is to fill gaps through training and support, not just provide technology. Because when you change lives, success follows. The right solutions partner will help strengthen your greatest asset - your people.
