Set your Home Care Agency up for Success in 2026

The last few years have been full-on for home care agencies: recruitment problems, cost of living pressures, changing CQC expectations, and families looking for more transparency and reassurance.

With 2026 looming, it’s an opportunity to tighten things up, protect your margins and make life easier for your team by investing in people, using homecare software to make your operations more efficient, and building a strong digital and local marketing strategy.

Let’s dive into a practical breakdown of those areas.

A quick-start checklist for 2026-ready agencies

But if you’ve only got five minutes between visits and rota changes, here’s the short version of what a successful homecare agency looks like in 2026:

You’ve:

• invested in your people with good training, clear expectations and real wellbeing support.
• created a one-page business plan you can explain and review monthly.
• got homecare software (and ideally an eMAR system) to cut paperwork, improve visibility and reduce risk.
• taken smart steps to improve operational efficiency, i.e. less duplication, fewer manual tasks, more time for clients.
• developed a clear digital and local marketing presence, so families and referrers can find and trust you.

Now, let’s get into the detail.

Investing in people: the heart of a successful agency

The reality is simple: if your carers are stressed, under-supported and constantly leaving, you’ll feel it everywhere: rota gaps, complaints, missed opportunities and extra costs.

Investing in people is about putting staff first to create a positive and impactful workplace:

• A solid induction that sets clear standards from day one.
• Buddy systems for new starters so they don’t feel thrown in the deep end.
• Ongoing training in areas like dementia, end-of-life, mental health and complex needs.
• Digital skills and confidence, so staff feel comfortable using home healthcare software and eMAR.
• Training for supervisors and coordinators in things like feedback, supervision and difficult conversations.
• Regular check-ins rather than only speaking to staff when something goes wrong.
• Small, genuine recognition - shout-outs, thank you cards, and positive feedback from families.

Every time you keep a good carer for another year, you’re protecting continuity of care, stability for clients and a lot of recruitment spend.

Do a business plan that works in real life

A business plan can bring to mind a 30-page document nobody actually reads! Instead, create a one-page business plan that answers five straightforward questions:

1. Who do we support?
• What areas do you cover?
• Which client groups do you support best (older people, complex care, learning disability, live-in care)?
2. How many hours can we staff safely?
• What’s your realistic ceiling based on your current team?
• Do you need extra staff to reach your 2026 goals?
3. What do the numbers look like?
• Expected revenue from private, local authority and NHS work
• Carer pay rates, mileage, training costs, software subscriptions
• A buffer for surprises (because they will happen!)
4. What are our quality and risk priorities?
• Complaints, incidents, spot checks, supervision schedules
• How to keep on top of documentation and CQC evidence
5. How will technology support us?
• Where homecare software, eMAR and health care automation can save time and reduce risk
• Manual processes to phase out during 2025–26

Once you’ve got your answers, review them each month - even if it’s just you with a strong cup of coffee and a notepad.

Use homecare software and automation to improve operational efficiency

Many agencies are still running a mix of paper, spreadsheets and WhatsApp chats. But that’s fragile and eats time. Modern domiciliary care software pulls processes together in one place.

For instance:

• Rota planning and scheduling – less manual juggling, better use of staff time.
• Real-time visit monitoring – instant visibility on late or missed calls.
• Digital care records – notes, risk assessments and reviews all in one system.

When you add an eMAR system, medication becomes safer and easier to audit - clear prompts and records for each visit, fewer missed signatures and errors, and quick, reliable reports for families, GPs and commissioners.

Health care automation means that instead of staff entering the same information three times, systems can automatically generate timesheets and invoices, flag missed calls or unusual patterns in care notes and set reminders for overdue reviews or risk assessments.

This all adds up to better operational efficiency for agencies, meaning less time spent on admin and more time for people. And when the CQC turn up, you’ll have the evidence to show how you run and monitor your service:

“We are a home care agency and have been using Tagtronics since September 2024. Their customer support is outstanding and the out of hours is responsive…very cost effective comparing with the 2 systems we had to have. Very user friendly and compliant with the requirements of CQC.” - Debbie and Maria

Build a strong digital and local marketing strategy

You can offer brilliant care but if families and referrers don’t know you exist or understand what you do, you’ll struggle to grow.

A simple digital and local marketing strategy can make a real difference, even for a small agency.

Your digital basics

• A clear, mobile-friendly website to explain what services you offer, which areas you cover, and how to get in touch or request a call-back
• A complete and accurate Google Business Profile that shows up in local searches and on Google Maps
• Genuine reviews from families and staff that build trust far quicker than any brochure

Content that answers real questions

Short blogs and guides can help families searching late at night for answers like:

• “How do I choose a home care agency in [area]?”
• “What’s the difference between live-in and visiting care?”
• “How can homecare help prevent hospital readmission?”

Local visibility offline

Don’t forget the power of being known in your community:

• Regular contact with GPs, discharge teams and social workers
• Attendance at local carers’ groups, community events and information fairs
• Partnerships with charities, faith groups and community organisations

When you combine good people, smart systems and visible marketing, you become the agency that locals think of first when someone needs support at home.

How TagCare can help

Setting your homecare agency up for success in 2026 means choosing a few high-impact moves and building from there.

Since 2000, TagCare have made the technology side much easier. Our all-in-one homecare software is built specifically for homecare agencies to support carers, coordinators and managers day in, day out, mimicking the way you like to work.

If you need some support for your 2026 plans, from better operational efficiency to clearer oversight and safer medication, call 01254 819205 to book a demo or chat with the team.