Profile: 'No government will be able to meet all care needs,' says Home Instead Senior Care CEO Trevor Brocklebank

Trevor Brocklebank is chief executive of the UK’s fastest growing home care provider, Home Instead Senior Care, the company he co-founded with his wife Sam. Speaking to homecare.co.uk, Mr Brocklebank discusses some of the most satisfying aspects of starting up a successful care franchise, as well as his hopes for the future of the care sector.

Previously based in the IT sector, personal experience inspired Mr Brocklebank to become involved in the care industry, having witnessed substandard care delivery when his grandfather became reliant on home care, an experience that proved to be an eye-opener.

Mr Brocklebank explains, “As my grandfather’s health deteriorated, I was appalled at the very poor care he received and the total lack of integration between the health and home care sector. I couldn’t believe that in today’s modern society we could treat our older people this way.”

Having sold the successful IT consultancy, Mezenet (a corporate provider of SAP Business Intelligence Solutions), Trevor and Sam Brocklebank took the opportunity to launch Home Instead Senior Care in the UK. The company brand already had a strong presence worldwide, being among the leading global care providers and renowned for having taken a unique approach to company expansion that allows people like the Brocklebanks to own their own independent franchise business, while also becoming part of a worldwide network.

In the space of a few years the UK franchise has grown rapidly, now numbering more than 100 branches and with very few regions where the company does not have a presence. His position as co-founder and chief executive has led to Mr Brocklebank being added to the board of the United Kingdom Home Care Association (UKHCA), while in November he was also part of a committee giving advice to members of the House of Lords on the impact of demographic change and the path to care reform.

Regarding the Government’s current dilemma over how to finance care funding, Mr Brocklebank says: “I think the government needs a better and more effective method for allocating care across the care and health sectors and needs to increase funding to ensure we can meet the needs of those in most need.”

However, he does not believe in putting all the woes of the sector at the door of politicians, calling equally on family responsibility to play its part, saying: “At the same time, families and individuals need to take responsibility for their share, in particular topping up services to meet unique requirements. With our ageing population no government, regardless of their political views will be able to meet all care needs.”

Despite the demographic challenges care services face, Mr Brocklebank is not among those who see a bleak future for the industry: “Whilst in the short term the sector is clearly struggling with the combined impact of increased demand from an ageing population and reduced funding available, I am much more positive about the medium- to long-term prospects for the sector.”

He sees the ability to innovate and adapt as essential in this respect: “For too long the industry has adopted a ‘one size fits all’ approach to the provision of care, with the local authority acting as a virtually monopolistic buyer of services which has driven pricing down to unsustainable levels. However, we are starting to see much more collaboration between providers and innovative new approaches being introduced which can only benefit the people we serve.”

In this respect he predicts further expansion to the Home Instead portfolio, with plans under way to open 25 more offices in the next 12 months, that will increase the number of UK branches to 150 and turn the company into the largest UK provider of care in the home.

Mr Brocklebank says, confidently: “Each year the number of people we serve has increased by around 50 per cent and we see no reason why this won’t continue for many years to come.”

Determined that the quality of home care services remains high, he promises a long-term commitment to effective training packages, saying: “I think the ‘minimum standards’ in too many cases become the standards that providers train to; this should just be the start, on-going training is particularly critical.”

Asked what he is most proud of during his career so far, Mr Brocklebank speaks of how he feels personally connected to the challenges of care provision, more so than with previous sectors he was involved with.

He says: “Whilst my IT businesses were successful, they were first and foremost businesses. At Home Instead our prime objective is to ‘change the face of ageing’. I am immensely proud of the difference we have made to the lives of thousands of older people and their families over the past seven years, but in many ways this is just the beginning. Hopefully the best is yet to come!”

What was your first job? A paper round. First full time job was as an Officer Cadet at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.

What is your favourite book? Where’s Wally: created and illustrated by Martin Handford (because of the fantastic memories of hours spent with my children)

What is your favourite film? Life Is Beautiful (La Vita è bella)

What is your favourite piece of music? Errol Garner playing Misty

What is the best present you have received? A Westfield sports car from my amazing wife Sam for my 40th birthday.

What was your last holiday? Abersoch in North Wales

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