Kent elder care directory Autumna to expand after tripling turnover in two years

Autumna, an elder care directory based in Tunbridge Wells, is set for expansion off the back of rapid growth over the past few years.

Founded by entrepreneur Debbie Harris, the business has seen demand grow rapidly within the elderly and social care sector as families seek quick solutions for their loved ones.

Autumna allows self-funded care seekers to locate registered providers within minutes, providing a transparent marketplace where users can find and compare care homes, home care, live-in care and retirement living developments.

It also provides online assessment tool to guide families through a series of questions and generate a shortlist of the right care, which is also communicated to the shortlisted care providers.

Debbie launched the platform in 2019 after experiencing first-hand the stress of finding the right care for her aunt.

Debbie said: “Our continued expansion is largely due to our growing reputation as the UK’s most detailed independent directory, with more than 26,000 care and retirement living providers.

“This is free to use, and unlike some other directories, we don’t take referral fees, meaning our service is unbiased, transparent and trustworthy.”

The company has more than 3,000 people a month using its advice line, with a 75 per cent placement rate.

Turnover for 2023 stood at £1.38 million – an increase of 54 per cent on the year prior, and up 230 per cent from £419,000 in 2021.

Having launched the directory from her home, Debbie has since created a million-pound company and employs 22 staff.

“Our growth has been delivered by recruiting and retaining a fantastic team, and we’re the only directory who help care seekers seven days a week,” she added.

“We’re in the process of developing a major new initiative that we’ve designed to dramatically improve transparency and raise standards even further across the sector.

“We’ll be trialling a prototype in due course.”