7 Expert Tips on How to Get Domiciliary Care Clients

Whether you’re just getting started or planning to expand, it’s important to know how to get clients for your domiciliary care agency.

Community engagement and a solid marking plan are essential, but in this article, we’re going over 7 effective strategies for finding new homecare clients. 

What is a Domiciliary Care Agency?

A domiciliary care agency (also referred to as a homecare agency) is an organization that provides care and support services to individuals in their own homes, rather than in hospitals or care homes. This type of care is designed to help people maintain their independence and quality of life by assisting with daily activities that they may struggle with due to age, disability, illness, or other health conditions. 

Services offered by domiciliary care agencies can range from basic support, such as help with cleaning, cooking, and shopping, to more complex care needs, including personal care (like bathing and dressing), medication management, and mobility assistance.

7 Ways to Get Clients for Your Domiciliary Care Agency

You can do everything in your power to provide high-quality care. But you’ll also need approval from governing domiciliary care bodies. These regulators ensure you’re meeting legal, safety, and quality standards. They have the authority to inspect, rate, and, if it’s necessary, shut down services that don’t comply. 

England

In England, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) is the independent regulator of health and adult social care in England. The CQC monitors, inspects, and regulates services like domiciliary agencies and rates them as Outstanding, Good, Requires Improvement, or Inadequate. To measure each agency’s quality, the CQC asks five key questions:

• Are services safe?
• Are they effective?
• Are they caring?
• Are they responsive to people’s needs?
• Are they well-led?

In 2024, there were 13,250 domiciliary care agencies registered in England, and only 5% achieved an “Outstanding” rating. Meeting CQC standards and aiming for top ratings is one of the best ways to attract clients and grow your reputation.

Scotland

Domiciliary care in Scotland is regulated by the Care Inspectorate. Providers need to register, meet national health and social care standards, and go through regular inspections. Compliance includes staff training, record keeping, infection control, and safeguarding.

Wales

In Wales, domiciliary care providers are regulated by the Care Inspectorate Wales (CIW) under the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016. You must obtain a domiciliary support services license, meet service standards, and comply with ongoing self-assessment and inspections. As of April 2025, all domiciliary care providers will receive published ratings, and will be legally obligated to display them. 

Northern Ireland

The Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority (RQIA) oversees all domiciliary care agencies in Northern Ireland. Registration is mandatory, and agencies must meet the minimum care standards, follow safeguarding policies, and comply with periodic inspection requirements.

UK-wide insurance requirements

While licensing varies across the UK, most providers need:

• Public Liability Insurance: Covers any injury of property damage claims.
• Profession Indemnity Insurance: Protects against claims of negligence.
• Employer’s Liability Insurance: Required legally if you employ staff.
• Vehicle Insurance: Needed for any vehicles used for care visits.

Other voluntary accreditations

• ISO 9001: While not specific to healthcare, ISO 9001 is a quality management system that some domiciliary care providers choose to obtain. It demonstrates a commitment to providing a high standard of service and continuous improvement.
• Investors in People (IIP): This accreditation is not mandatory but showcases a commitment to high performance through good people management. It can be a sign of an excellent employer in the domiciliary care sector.
• Skills for Care Endorsement: In England, domiciliary care providers can seek endorsement from Skills for Care, which is an indication of commitment to high-quality training and development of staff.
• The Care Certificate: Because health and social care workers, like carers, aren’t regulated, you may want to require your carers to get The Care Certificate. This online certificate was developed jointly by Skills for Care, Health Education England, and Skills for Health and teaches set standards that social care and health workers adhere to in daily work.

Keep in mind that you’ll need to remain up-to-date with the specific registration requirements and standards that apply to your region and your country. 

Word of mouth is a powerful way to get your agency’s name around. 

Here are some tips for creating a referral strategy to get more clients for your homecare agency:

• Build relationships with local doctors: If they see that your caregivers are doing good work for patients, they’ll recommend you to others
• Offer incentives: This could be a discount, a service upgrade, a gift card, or even a monetary reward to whoever refers your agency. Ensure the reward is attractive enough to motivate participation while considering what is appropriate and ethical in your industry.
• Make referrals easy: The easier it is to refer someone, the more likely people will do it. Provide simple tools like referral cards or a dedicated page on your website.
• Track and measure results: Implement a system to track referrals, follow-ups, and conversions to better understand its effectiveness.
• Ensure legal compliance: This may involve consulting with a legal professional to make sure the program doesn’t inadvertently violate regulations, like those against kickbacks.

There are over 5.5 billion internet users worldwide, with more than 75% of consumers in the United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom using Google to find business information. It’s no question that it’s essential to establish your domiciliary agency online. A professional website, local SEO, active social media accounts, and targeted online advertising can greatly expand your reach. 

Here’s where to start:

Website

Your agency’s website is its digital home on the web. Build a well-designed, easy-to-navigate site that reflects your branding and clearly lists your services. Include calls-to-action, contact forms, and testimonials. Use website builders like Wix or Squarespace to create your own professional site, or hire a web designer if your budget allows.

Local SEO

Optimize your website so you appear in local Google searches. Use relevant keywords, claim and complete your Google Business Profile, and link between relevant pages on your website. This will help you appear in the “near me” search results on Google, which is a common way people find care providers.

Social media

Use platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram to share updates, showcase your team, post educational content, and highlight your client success stories (with permission). This helps build trust, expand your agency’s visibility, and makes it easy for people to reach you.

Paid advertising

Run targeted Google PPC campaigns on popular keywords like “elderly care near me.” Ads can place you at the top of search results and deliver strong ROI if you manage them well.

The power of online reviews is huge. According to Power Reviews, more than 99.9% of consumers say they read reviews when shopping online–and this includes homecare. Monitor what clients are saying about your agency on sites like homecare.co.uk and Google.

Because online reviews can make such a big difference for your business, here are a few ways to encourage clients to leave positive feedback:

• Ask at the right time: A good time is after a positive interaction or when a client expresses satisfaction with your service. Personalize your request to make it more impactful.
• Make it easy to leave a review: Simplify the review process by providing direct links to the review page on your website. Consider creating a step-by-step guide if the process involves multiple steps.
• Follow up: If a client agrees to leave a review but hasn’t done so after a few days, a gentle follow-up reminder can be effective. Keep the message friendly and appreciative of their time.

Respond to reviews: Show appreciation for reviews by responding to them, whether they are positive or negative. A thoughtful response to a positive review can encourage others to share their experiences, too.

Not all clients are online. Printed brochures, flyers, newspaper ads, and notice board posters are still a good way to get the word out about your services, especially for order audiences or their families. You can also distribute materials through local shops, at community events, and via maildrop services. Make sure to include your contact information, service list, and a strong call-to-action.

Networking with the community builds goodwill, trust, and keeps your homecare agency top of mind locally. Here are some ways you can network:

Volunteer

Hold a volunteer day where you and your staff head out into the community. This not only allows you all to do good within the community, but it also gets your agency’s name out to people who may need your services.

Here are some potential volunteer opportunities:

• Hold a gift drive for families in need
• Clean up public areas (parks, beaches, etc.)
• Host fundraisers for charities
• Organize blood drives
• Help out at soup kitchens.

Sponsor events

A great example is senior events like Bingo games and foot races. You can also sponsor events for your potential clients’ children and grandchildren.

Public speaking

Engaging in these activities demonstrates your expertise and commitment to quality care, helping to build trust and credibility among potential clients and their families. These opportunities also allow for direct interaction with a wide audience, including local health professionals and community leaders.

Consider events such as:

• Health fairs
• Civic organization meetings
• Community markets and fairs
• Health fairs
• Workshops and seminars

Partner with local businesses and professionals

A partnership with a local business means you’ll both benefit from the promotion of each other’s services. 

Here are some examples of companies you can partner with:

• Occupational therapist offices
• Skilled home nursing care facilities
• Hospices
• Nursing homes
• Social service agencies
• Assisted living facilities

Getting new clients all starts with a great reputation, and that means delivering quality care to every client. But even with excellent carers and office staff, it’s difficult to ensure staff are delivering quality care when carers work in different places due to internal communication challenges and lack of direct oversight. 

Homecare management software like Connecteam can bridge these gaps and unify your team. You can manage your team from afar and ensure they deliver the best care possible while remaining compliant with laws and regulations.

Here are a few ways how: 

Efficient staff scheduling

With the employee scheduler, you can create employee schedules with the use of scheduling templates, AI-powered scheduling, and error flagging. 

Easily assign your carers with their patients and include locations right in the app. Then, you can maintain a clear overview of where and when staff are working at all times. 

Comprehensive staff training 

Finding and retaining skilled, qualified caregivers is an essential part of running a successful domiciliary care agency. That starts by running a thorough recruitment process, complete with background checks, verifiable references, and interviews. 

Once hired, ensure all staff members receive proper training using employee training software. Carers can complete their training on the app from anywhere, even on the go, for easy learning. 

Connecteam’s AI Course Creator lets you build custom courses in seconds that cover not only the practical aspects of care but also emphasize communication skills, privacy, dignity, and empathy. Ongoing training on the latest care techniques and technologies can also improve care quality. 

Reliable communication 

Connecteam’s employee communication app comes with in-app chat, employee updates, and a company directory so you and your staff can easily communicate no matter where they’re working. Anyone can easily answer questions, get information, and adjust care plans as needed.

Simplified time tracking

Keep track of everyone’s hours with the employee time clock. Carers can clock in and out of work right from their job sites on their phones, and the app immediately sends everyone’s hours to automated timesheets for payroll.

Connecteam also comes with GPS-tracking and geofencing to ensure your employees don’t stray from their job sites while they’re on the clock or clock in and out when they aren’t at work. 

Easily assign and monitor tasks with digital checklists and reports

Create tasks with digital forms, reports, and checklists directly in the app so carers can view them right from clients’ homes. They can mark items on lists as done as they complete each task, fill out reports and forms, and send them right back to you with a tap for easy progress monitoring.

Check out this free Homecare Task List template to keep your carers on track and your business running smoothly.

FAQs

What are the legal and regulatory requirements for marketing domiciliary care services?

Marketing domiciliary care services must comply with Care Quality Commission (CQC) guidelines, consumer protection laws, and advertising standards. Claims must be truthful, not misleading, and respect client confidentiality. Data collection for marketing must follow UK GDPR rules.

How can I measure the effectiveness of my marketing efforts?

Measure marketing effectiveness by tracking lead sources, conversion rates, cost per acquisition, and client retention. Compare results against your set goals and use analytics tools to identify which campaigns generate the most qualified enquiries.

What are the key performance indicators (KPIs) I should monitor for marketing success?

Key KPIs for domiciliary care marketing include enquiry volume, conversion rate, cost per lead, website traffic, and client retention rate. Monitoring social media engagement and review ratings also helps gauge your brand reputation.

What are the common challenges faced by new domiciliary care agencies?

Common challenges for new domiciliary care agencies include: meeting CQC registration requirements, recruiting qualified carers, building client trust, and managing cash flow. Competition from established providers can also impact growth.

What software or tools can help manage a domiciliary care agency efficiently?

Connecteam is one of the best software options for managing domiciliary care agencies. It offers scheduling, compliance guardrails, and recordkeeping. Connecteam also integrates with popular payroll providers, including Xero, QuickBooks, and ADP. 

Are there any government grants or funding available for starting a domiciliary care agency?

UK government funding for new domiciliary care services may include local council business grants, Start Up Loans, and regional enterprise schemes. Social care-specific funding may also be available through NHS partnerships or innovation funds.