As we transition into 2024 celebrating our 5th anniversary, Nurse Next Door Australia celebrates a remarkable journey marked by substantial growth since 2019. The story of our business, dedicated to Making Lives Better across the nation, unfolds with a momentum that is still growing strong.
The following year in review delves into the increased demand for home care, a year of exponential growth, the positive impact left on local communities and innovative initiatives like the Frontline to Franchise Program.
Let’s reflect on the significant progress Nurse Next Door Australia has made in 2023 and look ahead to the promising developments in home care franchising for 2024.
The Increased Demand for Home Care
The current healthcare landscape has brought with it a host of challenges including fragile levels of staffing, underfunded hospitals, and the closure of government-subsidised aged care facilities.
Given that approximately 1 in 6 Australians are over the age of 65 and around 1 in 5 Australians are living with a disability, has meant that these challenges have opened up a range of new opportunities for home care providers across the nation.
A recent study found that 9 in 10 Australians wish to remain in their own homes for as long as possible and are prepared to pay for in-home care services to do so. This trend has allowed Registered Nurses and entrepreneurs who are Passionate About Making a Difference open up to the idea of starting their home health care businesses to service their local communities and provide bold solutions to the current healthcare industry.
With a desire to provide the quality care that is desperately needed, many aspiring business owners are opting into the Franchising Model as a way to speed up their success and meet the ever-growing need for home care.
“I decided to buy a home care franchise rather than start my own business for the support that I knew would be there. I’m now empowered to create this business, and I can focus on the people in my community” – Zoe Watson (RN) Franchise Partner (Nurse Next Door Cairns)
A Year of Exponential Growth
In 2023, Nurse Next Door Australia experienced exponential growth. With a rising demand for in-home aged care and disability support, we happily welcomed 19 new Franchise Partners, extending our reach to 20 new active locations, including:
- Sunshine Coast
- Noosa
- Macarthur
- Townsville
- Mackay
- Bundaberg
- Ballarat
- Mosman
- Wagga Wagga
- Parramatta
- Blacktown
- Gosford
- Baulkham Hills
- Maitland
- Perth
- Ku Ring Gai
- Geelong
- Cairns
- Northern Beaches
- Hawkesbury
Over the last five years, Nurse Next Door Australia has flourished and expanded the collective network to a total of 45 Franchise Partners across 66 active, or launching, locations.
Making More Lives Better in 2023
As a business built on the core purpose of Making Lives Better, Nurse Next Door Australia’s well-established systems, processes, and operations, which have been refined for over two decades in North America and adapted to the Australian market, have meant that new and existing Franchise Partners can continue to focus on what matters most – Making a difference in local communities and in the lives of our clients.
“I never knew how good it would feel to be a business owner that makes a difference in people’s lives. Everything that Nurse Next Door gave me meant that I had one less thing I had to think about because it was there. The things I’ve learned have been incredible and the support team always goes above and beyond” – Fiona Johnstone Franchise Partner (Nurse Next Door Brisbane)
With world-class systems and the exponential growth into new locations, Nurse Next Door Australia has had the chance to positively impact many more lives through aged care and disability support.
This year, the collective national network was able to deliver over 855,288 hours of care. This was a 111% increase from the previous year (2022) when just over 400,000 hours of care had been delivered.
Innovation Through Frontline to Franchisee Program
The Frontline to Franchise Program continued to incentivise frontline workers, specifically, Registered Nurses, to become thriving Franchise Partners with the aid of supplementary assistance, including lowered franchise fees and tailored training initiatives.
“Frontline workers understand the nature of this business better than almost anyone. They have the passion, the work ethic, first-hand experience, and the value alignment to our brand” – Matt Fitton, COO of Nurse Next Door Australia
In the initial stages of Franchise Development across Australia, nurses, caregivers, and various frontline workers approached Nurse Next Door with a desire to venture into home care franchising but had financial obstacles to overcome.
When HeartQuarters realised this trend, the Frontline to Franchise program was developed, and designed to enhance support for caregivers, nurses, and other frontline workers aspiring to thrive as successful Franchise Partners with Nurse Next Door Home Care Services.
This ongoing commitment will continue to assist frontline workers taking the bold step towards becoming Franchise Partners, ensuring they receive the necessary support along their journey.
Franchise Development in 2024
2024 has already started strong as our HeartQuarters team continues to foster our Franchise Partners and build up entrepreneurs who are looking to transition into a new career in a recession-resilient industry.
In the first half of 2024, Nurse Next Door Australia will see 8 new prospective Franchise Partners opening their hearts to their local communities including:
- Joondalup
- South Coast
- Glenelg
- Central Coast, NSW
- Werribee
- Armidale/Tamworth
- Albury/Wodonga
- Perth South East
While our existing Franchise Partners persist in their dedicated efforts to Making a Difference, here at Nurse Next Door HeartQuarters Australia, we remain committed to our strengths:
- Offering unwavering support to help our Franchise Partners thrive,
- Helping Franchise Partners find profound purpose in their endeavours,
- Facilitating the ability to meet the escalating demand for care.
Let’s conclude 2023 with a flourish and embark on 2024 with the same vigour, as the entire network works as a collective energy towards our shared purpose of Making Lives Better.
With a core purpose of Making Lives Better, Nurse Next Door, under the leadership of Melbourne-based Master Franchisors Matt Fitton and Amber Biesse, provides in-home aged care and disability support services built on our philosophy of Happier Ageing® focusing on possibility rather than disability.
