Nathan, who spent nine-and-a-half years in the care system as a child, has launched his own healthcare recruitment agency in Hull – determined to ensure vulnerable people receive quality care from properly vetted staff
Nathan Houghton says setting up H&P Healthcare has been “so worthwhile”(Image: Nathan Houghton)
A Hull man who was fostered with more than 20 different people as a youngster has set up his own business to ensure social care service users are given bespoke, professional service – and carers themselves are treated with dignity. Dad-of-two Nathan Houghton set up H&P Healthcare to offer those in need of social care in Hull and beyond high-quality care. He supplies support workers and carers to services in Hull, East Yorkshire and as far as Leeds, who are in need of staff.
The 27-year-old has been working in the sector since he left school, and has been “disappointed” with some of the places he has previously worked. He said: “We are making sure the people we send out are who we should be sending out, not just someone who wants to work in the sector for a job and get paid at the end of it. I was in children’s homes in my younger years, I lived with 21 different people, and it made me realise there are some out there that really want to do it, and others want to do it for the money. It’s a big deal to me that it’s done right, and the people are getting the maximum support. We are making sure we’ve done all our checks. I’m ready for it.”
Nathan said he set up the business after discovering, in some places, some workers were being sent out “without their right to work documentation”. “It’s scary because these people are looking after vulnerable adults and children,” Nathan said. “They are taking care of someone’s life and it needs to be right. I’m sleeping well at night – I’ve got no interest in Range Rovers at this time!”
While moving through multiple foster families, Nathan admits he was “a bit of a toe rag” during his nine-and-a-half years in the care system. “It led to people telling me I was going to go nowhere in life,” he said. “I moved through a couple of children’s homes in the Hull area. Fortunately, my last foster care placement was with people I call mum and dad now. I learned a work ethic. I did land on my feet when I was about 15.” After leaving care as a young adult, Nathan began a career as a support worker.
“I left school with no GCSEs whatsoever. I had part-time jobs here and there from the ages of 18 to 20. Then I thought: ‘I need to wise up a bit as I’m going nowhere in life’. I saw a job as a support worker. I thought I probably wouldn’t get it, but I did.”
Nathan quickly got promoted to senior support worker, working with young adults with a history of abuse and drug use. Despite saying he “loved” the job, Nathan wanted to expand his knowledge, so began caring for elderly people with dementia. He worked his way up to deputy manager, then ventured off into recruitment.
He said: “I saw the agencies that were coming into the care homes. It was Covid and they couldn’t recruit as well. I thought if I can do better, I’ll give it a go, and see what I can do.” When an investment offer came from a family friend, Nathan “bit their hand off” and H&P Healthcare was born. He now employs dozens of workers and has just launched the training arm of the business, H&P Training.
“It’s just been such a success,” he said. “Hard work, early nights and late mornings, but it’s been so worthwhile and I feel like I can make a difference to the sector. My big thing is making sure these people have the right staff there to support them. Investing in my staff is important. We pay a little more than the national minimum wage, we are not just going to pay them £12.71 and that’s it. Then they can progress in their career.”
He added: “My care workers and support workers are being validated for the hard work they are doing.” Nathan has received more than 200 applications and taken 51 people on. He believes the team he has is “really strong”. The business is named after his children, Harry, two, and Poppy, five. “They are my absolute world,” he said. “They’ll see I’m doing it with my values and hopefully that follows on one day.”
He said setting up his business was “quite difficult” and there were many sleepless nights, long days and a lot of exhaustion. “When you’re becoming a little bit burnt out when you’re working for someone else, it’s a different feeling when you’re doing it for yourself. But as stressful as it’s been, I can see the rainbow at the end of it.
“It’s a case by case basis. A care home or support service will reach out or I will reach out to them. They’ll give me information about what they need. Then I’ll look at my staff and see if I have anyone suitable and I’ll place them with that provider, rather than placing them with any provider just to get the end-to-end transaction made. I’m making sure that’s the right fit. Over the last two months I’ve had plenty of good comments.”
Terri Hutchinson, director of Bel-Esprit Social Care, said: “We have had the pleasure of working with Nathan for a number of years across different healthcare agencies, and throughout that time he has consistently demonstrated professionalism, integrity and a genuine commitment to delivering high-quality care. Nathan has always taken the time to understand the needs of our service, ensuring we receive staff who are not only suitably experienced but who also fit well within our team and share our values. It is refreshing to work with a healthcare agency that genuinely prioritises quality over quantity and takes the time to build lasting relationships with the services they support.”
Did you know you can make Hull Live a preferred source of Hull news in Google, which will mean you get more of our breaking news, exclusives, and must-read stories straight away? Here’s more information about what this means and how to do it – you can also do it straight away by clicking here .