A North East care company is looking to create around 50 jobs and quadruple its turnover after securing a six-figure investment.
Happiest At Home provides an app-based relationship management service, bringing carers together with people who need care support for a variety of reasons, including learning difficulties, physical disabilities, mental health issues and acquired brain injuries. The Newcastle business was formed at the start of 2021 by a team of experienced care sector professionals and is the only business of its type in the north of England, working with clients across the UK.
The firm worked with regional fund management firm NEL Fund Managers to bring in the £100,000 investment from the North East Growth Capital Fund Loan Fund, Supported by The European Regional Development Fund, which it is using to increase business development activities and expand its team. Happiest At Home built a turnover of £750,000 in its first full year and is now planning to increase this to around £3m in the coming 12 months and is expecting to create around 50 new jobs at its head office and elsewhere over the next three years.
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Its nationwide team of carers work for the business on an agency basis and are contracted on a significantly higher rate of pay than the industry standard. It is now focusing on increasing its operations in the North West, with plans in place to build up numbers of carers and clients in specific locations before looking to establish the brand in other areas. It is also looking at opportunities for developing new partnerships with charities working in its sector.
Samantha Hackett, director at Happiest At Home, says: “We recognised a need to do something different in an industry where the levels of demand are constantly rising and it’s increasingly difficult to find enough staff with the right mix of skills and experience.
“Bespoke care strategies are needed for every client, depending on their individual conditions and needs, and our service is designed to bring the skilled staff that can deliver them with the people that need their support.
“Managing these relationships via our app makes it easy to manage for everyone involved, and we’re able to attract highly-skilled carers by offering them significantly higher rates of pay than they can find elsewhere.
“The market demand for the high-quality services we facilitate has been clearly demonstrated by what we’ve been able to achieve in a very short space of time, and as one of very few companies in the UK providing this service, we’re now looking to accelerate the scaling up process.”
Jane Siddle, senior investment executive at NEL Fund Managers, adds: “The Happiest At Home management team has a clear hold on the needs of carers and clients in what is a rapidly expanding market, and our investment provides the business with the resources it needs to continue its growth journey.”
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