Five years ago today, BelleVie set out to transform the country’s Care provision with a new type of home care service. Inspired by the Buurtzorg operating model known for successfully revolutionising community nursing in the Netherlands, we were – and remain – the only provider to try something similar, at scale, here in the UK.
The model hinges on self-managed teams. There’s no hierarchy, no one has a ‘boss’, and every team is trusted and empowered to make their own operational decisions, based entirely on what’s best for those in their care. Home visits aren’t about ticking off tasks against the clock, they’re about answering a person’s individual needs. And not just their medical needs – our Wellbeing Support Workers (WSWs) put time into building genuine relationships, so they’re equipped and informed to address social, emotional, and logistical needs too.
It sounds simple. All we’re really doing is recognising that everyone is unique, and personalising their Care accordingly. But as any pioneer would agree, swimming against the tide is hard work. So what have we learnt in the past five years? And where are we now?
If it doesn’t exist, build it: When we started out, the technology didn’t exist to support self-managing teams. Our solution? We co-designed bespoke frameworks and a dedicated Wellbeing Operating System (Wellbeing OS) that allows our WSWs to manage their own rotas, personal development and clients’ wellbeing, reducing reliance on our central back office. And we’re not stopping there! We’re now working on our own Care visit Management software to help strengthen our predictive analytics so we can better calculate health outcomes.
When there’s no one left to recruit, recruit differently: The job vacancy rate in Care is significantly higher than that within the wider economy. Recognising that we prize personality and values over training (which we can easily provide) we launched a radically different recruitment programme. One in which we’ve replaced CVs with values-based surveys and swapped interviews for workshops. The result? Over half of our WSWs now come from outside Care, addressing workforce shortages and bringing new, untapped skills into the sector.
Playing fair means paying fair: It’s one thing upping recruitment, but you’ll only gain ground if you retain talent too. We rely on our WSWs to do their best for those they support every single day, and so we’re committed to paying that back. We therefore stand by our accreditation as a Real Living Wage organisation, prioritise professional development through our Wellbeing OS, and champion wellness in person, online, in work and at home.
If you truly want to drive change, collaborate: BelleVie’s vision is to build a society where everyone in the Care ecosystem is valued and supported through meaningful, reciprocal relationships. While we’re making waves, it’s not something we can do on our own. We want the whole sector to turn away from ‘time and task’ delivery, towards the high-quality, personalised care made possible by self-managed teams and monthly membership subscriptions. We’re therefore driving mass adoption by licensing our proprietary software to the industry at large. We hope that by working together, we can future-proof Care and better serve our growing, ageing population.
So that’s a snapshot of what we’ve done, but where has it got us?
A crowded trophy shelf: BelleVie has garnered numerous prestigious awards and recognitions since its inception. Just last month, we clinched the overall ‘best in show’ Gold Grand Prix Winner title at the 2024 UK Homecare Awards, along with a trio of Golds for Best Palliative/End of Life Care, Best Innovative Technology, and Best for Staff Wellbeing.
500+ happy families: BelleVie now supports over 500 families and individuals to live their best lives, as demonstrated by our Net Promoter Score (NPS) of 90%, which places us in the top percentile for Care delivery.
A workforce of ambassadors: People really like working with us. Retention levels are high and staff feedback is consistently strong – as attested by a recent colleague survey in which our WSWs told us that they “Love coming to work” and feel like they “Can bring their whole selves” in with them.
Sustainable growth: Our operating model is effective and efficient, but it is also scalable. We operate throughout Oxfordshire and Northumberland, have recently expanded to serve Buckinghamshire, and will be coming to Newcastle in April.
All in all, not bad for five years’ work! Here’s to our ongoing mission: To reinvent the future of care, so communities are supported to thrive, and all members of the care ecosystem are valued. Thank you to all who have supported us. Here’s to the future.
