Transforming Care Through Innovation and Leadership

The Executive Magazine speaks exclusively with Martin Jones MBE, CEO of Home Instead UK & International, about the remarkable journey that has established his organisation as a pioneering force in the healthcare and social care sector. From securing the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise to growing a network of over 260 franchises across the UK, Jones reveals the strategic thinking and innovative approaches that have positioned Home Instead at the forefront of addressing the sector’s most pressing challenges.

As the healthcare and social care landscape continues to evolve amid workforce shortages and an ageing population, Jones shares valuable insights on employee engagement, franchise development, and quality care delivery that have earned Home Instead its place among the top three companies on the FT’s Best Employers 2025 List. His perspectives on the intersection of compassionate care delivery and strategic business growth offer a compelling roadmap for leaders seeking to make a meaningful impact while building sustainable organisations in challenging sectors.

Having placed in the top three on the FT’s Best Employers 2025 List, what specific employee engagement strategies have you implemented at Home Instead that have proven most effective in the healthcare and social sector?

“We operate on the five main needs of employees, which are:

• Self-esteem to help workers feel valued: operating a people-focused sector, nurturing teams to maintain their wellbeing comes naturally. It’s crucial that we don’t only consider those receiving care, but also those delivering it.
• Being viewed as professionals to be supported: we give our Care Professionals the chance to build on their skillsets and specialise in specific areas of care such as dementia and Parkinson’s, which they can transfer to other roles if they choose. A clear career pathway helps them stay more engaged in their roles and likely to remain in the care sector.
• Social needs of belonging and motivation: care work in the community can be an isolating job, so employers should keep the door open for employees to share concerns and provide updates on how their role is going.Regular team meetings and events help ensure that they feel involved in how the company is run.
• Values that put clients at the centre of their mission: our employee value proposition (EVP) includes offering Care Professionals working conditions that help them be content in their roles. This includes the kind of care that Home Instead offers – relationship-led care – which, along with minimum one hour visits, gives Care Professionals the chance to bond with clients, which from employee feedback proves to be popular.
• Monetary rewards: this doesn’t just mean fair pay but also supporting services such as counselling. Our Employee Assistance Programme, which is available 24/7 helps our Care Professionals reduce stress and manage any difficulties they encounter in their roles.”

With 131,000 unfilled vacancies in social care and an ageing population, what innovative recruitment approaches is Home Instead adopting to attract and retain talent?

“Using an industry-leading applicant tracking system (ATS), our franchise offices can recruit more intelligently and quickly. They can establish the most effective sources of recruitment and understand typical demographics of candidates, giving them the tools to develop effective strategies. Thanks to our enhanced company profiles with major online job boards, we can highlight the key virtues that make Home Instead a great employer, such as a remarkably high care professional advocacy score of 88, which we achieved from a survey ran by independent employee engagement specialist WorkBuzz.

“Over the years, WorkBuzz has highlighted key areas that Home Instead could improve on to maintain a positive working culture for care professionals, keeping our retention rate high.”

Home Instead has grown to over 260 franchises since establishing in the UK 20 years ago. What have been the most significant turning points in this journey?

“We’ve reached many milestones! I’d say that these are some of the top ones:

• Winning a Queen’s Award for Enterprise: as the first home care company to receive this prestigious accolade, we were delighted to be recognised by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II for our pioneering approach to care, particularly our relationship led care.
• Achieving two Princess Royal Training Awards: our dementia care training and end-of-life training won this accolade in 2016 and 2019 respectively. We were the only home care company to win it in 2019.
• Our Third Stair campaign: we were excited to launch our first ever national television campaign, advertising to millions of people, confirming our position as brand leader in home care and showing families that home care is an option.
• Reaching 200 franchise offices in 2019: we now have over 265 franchise offices, but reaching 200 felt particularly special because we knew we were building a strong franchise network. As more and more franchisees came onboard, we were able to offer our care in more communities in the UK and recruit more care professionals.”

The Queen’s Award recognised your innovation in the sector. Could you elaborate on the innovations that earned this prestigious recognition and how they’ve evolved since?

“We disrupted the market by being the first national private pay home care company. Before Home Instead’s arrival in the UK, flexible, personalised care wasn’t very well-established. That, along with our innovative approach in making it the norm for carers to be companions, won us the Queen’s Award for Enterprise. It proved that what our franchise teams do makes an immeasurable difference helping older people stay living at home.

“Our innovation continues as we add to our range of services, particularly healthcare at home, giving us the ability to deliver medical treatment at clients’ homes.”

Home Instead has developed a remarkably successful franchise model over two decades. What key factors have contributed to this growth, and what advice would you give to others looking to scale through franchising?

“Having a clear vision and being mission led has enabled us to grow.

“We look for franchisees who share our values; it’s crucial that desire to make a difference in their local community goes hand in hand with a keen business brain. They must share our vision to expand the world’s capacity to care. Using our proven business model, franchisees offer high quality care and grow.

“Our franchise network has grown to be incredibly strong. Communication and sharing best practice is key to success. For example, we have a franchise exchange council where we give local owners and their teams the chance to share best practice across all areas of the business, from community engagement to recruitment, supporting each other to develop and grow their business.”

As CEO of both UK and International operations, how do you balance maintaining consistent quality standards across diverse markets while adapting to local healthcare needs?

“Home Instead in every country is headed up by a strong leader. They take our quality care and proven business model and adapt it to meet the broader health and social care needs of their country.

“When it comes to individual communities, our offices become a key part of their local area through ongoing networking. Part of their role is building relationships with other social care providers and healthcare organisations to work collaboratively and meet client needs. People in the community who would benefit from Home Instead’s care are pointed in our direction.”

Looking ahead, what do you see as the most pressing challenges for the healthcare and social sector over the next decade, and how is Home Instead preparing to address them?

“Social care is in urgent need for reform, especially with our ageing population. It’s reassuring to see an independent commission work towards building a National Care Service; for far too long it was kicked into the long grass by the current and preceding governments.

“I’m also pleased to see Health Secretary Wes Streeting announce the Plan for Change; particularly its focus on giving care professionals a clear career pathway that equips them with sought-after skills. So much of it depends on all aspects of health and social care working together to achieve positive outcomes.

“In my various roles affecting positive change for older people, such as board member of the Homecare Association, I will continue to be a voice for ageing adults and care professionals, ensuring that any change that the government makes is right for those that it affects the most.”