Ultimate Care UK Limited

Helping to achieve a new standard of care.

A blinding flash of entrepreneurial vision can strike at any time, but it’s what you do with it that shapes your future. For Nicola Rowland the spark came over a glass of wine one evening. After working in the care industry for sixteen years, Nicola was becoming increasingly frustrated with the working practices of her employers. So when her husband Marc suggested she put her expertise to good use and start up her own company, she thought “why not?”

Buoyed with enthusiasm it took Nicola twelve months to gain registration from the governing body, The Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI). During this time she also worked hard to achieve a management qualification and NVQ level four. Finally in 2008 Ultimate Care UK Ltd began trading.

“Finding staff and clients was difficult,” said Marc. “We were so new, without a track record people were reluctant to try us. But by going out and meeting people and spending time with them, Nicola soon attracted clients and our reputation spread, growing the business through word of mouth.”

“We provided a different level of care,” explained Marc. “It’s not just about providing a service and then leaving. We take the time to sit and chat and build trusting relationships with all our clients.”

Initially covering the Shotley peninsular area, Nicola wanted to expand out towards Stowmarket but this required additional staff. “It is vital that all our staff are trained to our exacting standards to ensure our service users receive the highest standard of care,” said Marc. “But it costs about £600 to train a carer so we needed financial assistance.”

Due to the recession and being such a new business, the banks were unwilling to help. But when a friend told Marc about how Foundation East had helped them he got in touch.

“Foundation East’s support has enabled us to take on seven new staff and buy a company vehicle. Now, if any of our carers have car trouble, we have a spare vehicle so they can still go out and provide care for our service users. By helping us expand, our predicted turnover for this year is set to treble that of last year which is an incredible achievement considering the present economic climate,” said Marc. “But that wasn’t all, they also put us in touch with a business advisor who has helped us stabilise the business, improve our efficiency and as a result, has saved us money.”

The future is looking very good for Ultimate Care UK Ltd. “The next step is to open an office in Stowmarket,” said Marc. “Then we can expand into North Suffolk and South Norfolk, but that won’t be for a couple of years. The help, encouragement and support we received from Foundation East has been invaluable. Without them we wouldn’t have grown to the extent we have and our expansion plans would be much further away.”