There’s no such thing as “just another franchisee” here at Hub Care Support, as every single member of our growing network brings something special to the team and helps us shape a better future for care in the UK. Which is why we were very excited to welcome Shahida to the team early in 2025 when she launched her West Birmingham office.

Shahida has a long history in both care and the NHS. She had to give up her job in the Immunology department to care for her mother full-time when she became ill. Unsurprisingly, she gained a new understanding of how the care system in the UK worked, and got know a lot of other people working in the sector, both professional and unpaid.

“The change gave me an insight into the care world that you just don’t fully appreciate when you work in a clinical setting.” Shahida told us. “I saw just how much was involved in caring for others, and how the right kind of care just isn’t there for so many people. Later on, I worked with a few franchises and agencies and got to know the sector very well, and more and more I saw the need to do things differently. Friends and colleagues started to say to me ‘Well, why don’t you do something with this?’ So I started looking at joining a franchise myself.”

Hub Care Support was inspired by very much the same kind of feeling. Created by carers who understood the problems both front-line staff and service users face, we were determined to turn the traditional model on its head. By placing a greater emphasis on those who understand care the most – the carers themselves – and empowering them to become self-employed PAs, we’re handing them back control of their workings lives, and giving them the support they need to deliver the care their service users need.  Becoming a franchise, and empowering others to take the same journey we had, was the natural next step!

“Franchising appealed to me because I had never run a business before, and wanted to be a part of something where systems were already in place for me to tap into. I looked at a lot of options, but really wanted something which was much more ethical, affordable and accessible to those who needed it most, but also treats carers in the way they deserve. It’s not just that not everyone always appreciates you as a carer, it’s that you’re not always given what you need to help those who need it. Hub Care Support fit with exactly what I had in mind. Better care, but also looking after carers properly, too.”

While Shahida is the 8th franchisee to join Hub Care Support, and the proud owner of the 14th UK branch, she was actually among the first to express an interest in the franchise way back in early 2023. Despite operating, and perfecting, our pioneering model for more than 10 years before that, Hub Care Support had only just launched as a franchise.

We soon made a big splash with our unique way of way of doing things, one which Shahida was strongly drawn to. However, the time wasn’t right yet for her to make the commitment and she wanted to wait and see how the business model worked out for others before making her move.

“Early on, Hub Care Support was very small, just a couple of offices near to London, but now it has lots of franchisees and every success story I read moved me closer and closer to making a decision. Their model has been proven to work across all kinds of different locations now, and there is even more support available with the other franchisees always very kindly offering advice and guidance. From the head office team through to my fellow business owners in the network, someone is always there straightaway if I need help or guidance! It all comes together beautifully, everyone is on the same level, and everyone benefits from working together.”

A strong level of support is something we work very hard to provide. Not only does it fit in with our values as a business, but it also ensures our franchisees have the strong business base to feel confident about the most important part of their work: getting out there into their communities, spreading the word about what they do, and building those all important relationships. A role Shahida has embraced whole-heartedly.

“I love getting out there and doing my part to serve the community, and can’t wait to offer more and more services as I grow. The potential applications of this model are endless! When I start speaking to people about Hub, their first thought is ‘Oh, you must be like every care business out there..’ but, once they really learn about us, they are very pleasantly surprised. I can’t wait to see what the future holds!”