Introducing Scott Higgins-Wright: Director of Home Care Services
Scott Higgins-Wright joined Kensa Health in October 2026 as Director of Home Care Services, overseeing our home care hubs across Barnsley, Bournemouth, Plymouth, and Torbay & South Hams.
In this role, Scott ensures our home care services deliver consistent, high-quality, person-centred care while supporting the teams who make it possible.
We caught up with Scott to learn more about his career in the sector, what high-quality home care means to him, and his ambitions for the future of care at Kensa Health.
You’ve spent your entire career in homecare. What first attracted you to the sector, and what has kept you passionate about it over the years?
I started my career in care at 18, and what initially attracted me was the chance to do something meaningful and make a genuine difference in people’s lives.
Over the years, my passion has grown as I’ve seen the impact that good care can have, not just on the individual receiving support, but on their families and wider communities.
For me, homecare is about enabling people to remain living in their own homes for as long as reasonably possible, maintaining their independence, dignity and connection to the communities they know and love.
Having progressed from frontline care into leadership, I’ve also developed a real passion for the people who deliver care. Supporting colleagues to develop, building great teams and creating opportunities for people to have fulfilling careers in the sector has become just as important to me as the care itself.
Ultimately, it’s an industry that changes lives, and that’s what has kept me passionate about it.
How has homecare changed since you first started working in the sector, and what do you think has changed the most for the better?
Homecare has changed significantly since I first started. Back then, much of the sector ran on paper-based systems, paper care plans, and manual rosters. The digitalisation of homecare has transformed how services are managed and delivered.
Technology has improved access to information, communication, oversight and the ability to identify changes in people’s needs. It has also helped providers make more informed decisions, improve outcomes and deliver a more responsive, proactive and personalised service to the people we support.
Alongside this, there has been a greater focus on person-centred care, quality, safeguarding and professional development.
For me, one of the biggest positive changes is the growing recognition that care is a skilled profession, not simply a job. There are real opportunities to build a career, develop specialist knowledge and progress into leadership.
The challenge now is ensuring that technology and innovation continue to improve the experience and outcomes of people receiving care, while retaining the human connection that makes homecare so important.
What does high-quality homecare look like to you, beyond the practical support someone receives?
High-quality homecare is about enabling someone to live the life they want to live, in the place they call home, for as long as reasonably possible.
It’s about understanding the person, their history, their routines, their preferences and what matters most to them. It means supporting someone to maintain their independence, dignity and choice, rather than simply completing a list of tasks.
For me, it’s also about outcomes. Are we helping someone maintain their independence? Do they feel safe, happy, and connected to their community? Are their family and friends confident in the support being provided?
We sometimes overlook the wider network around the individual. Families, friends, and loved ones can also need reassurance, guidance, and support to help someone remain at home longer.
Good homecare should support the individual and those around them, helping people maintain relationships, remain part of their local communities and enjoy the best possible quality of life.
Can you share an example of a moment in your career that reminded you why homecare matters so much?
Throughout my career, I’ve seen the difference that homecare can make when it enables someone to remain in their own home, surrounded by their memories, their belongings and the life they have built.
One particularly memorable period was during the COVID pandemic. The way the whole social care sector pulled together to ensure people continued to receive care and support was incredibly humbling.
Care workers, providers and colleagues across the wider system demonstrated extraordinary commitment during a time of uncertainty and significant personal risk. They continued to support people in their homes, often while facing unprecedented challenges.
It was a powerful reminder of the sector's dedication and the vital role homecare plays in people’s lives.
Those experiences reinforced for me that homecare is about much more than a service. It’s about people, communities and ensuring that nobody is left without the support they need.
What do you think people and families most often misunderstand about homecare, and what would you like them to know?
A common misconception is that home care consists solely of assistance with personal care or household tasks.
In reality, it can be the difference between staying independent at home and moving into residential care. It can also reassure and support families trying to balance caring responsibilities with their own lives.
I also want to highlight that care workers are highly skilled professionals who play a vital role in people's lives. They build trusted relationships, recognise changes in an individual's wellbeing, support complex needs and often develop an understanding of the person that few others have.
I believe social care and the NHS are equally integral to the broader health and care system. Through collaboration as equal partners, both sectors can deliver coordinated, high-quality care and achieve the best possible outcomes for those they serve.
What are the biggest challenges facing homecare today, and how can providers make a real difference?
The homecare sector faces several significant challenges, including workforce recruitment and retention, funding pressures, increasingly complex care needs and growing demand for support. These are some of the reasons I was drawn to Kensa Health, particularly its commitment to improving how care is delivered, embracing innovation and creating a more accessible and inclusive experience for people joining the organisation. My own experience of an accessible recruitment and interview process gave me a real insight into this commitment.
Another significant challenge is driving change and innovation, particularly around technology. While digital solutions offer enormous opportunities to improve care, we also need to recognise the demographics of the people we support and that some may be resistant or uncomfortable with new technology. The challenge is introducing innovation in a way that is accessible, meaningful, and centred on the individual, rather than changing the whole system.
More importantly, recognising and valuing carers is central to building a positive working environment where people feel supported and appreciated. Kensa Health is committed to supporting its carers, recognising the important role they play and creating opportunities for them to develop and progress.
By continuing to champion care as a rewarding and fulfilling profession, we can create opportunities for people to grow, feel supported and make a meaningful difference every day.
Homecare is about much more than completing a care visit. How important is it to build trust and meaningful relationships with the people receiving care?
It’s absolutely fundamental. Without trust, it’s very difficult to deliver truly person-centred care.
For many people, inviting a care worker into their home means letting someone into their most personal space, sometimes when they feel vulnerable. Building trust takes time, consistency, empathy and understanding.
Those relationships help care workers understand what matters to someone, recognise subtle changes in their wellbeing, and provide support in a way that feels right for them.
They also help families and friends feel confident in the service being provided, knowing that someone they love is being supported by people who genuinely care.
Often, it’s the consistency of seeing a familiar face and knowing someone understands you that makes the biggest difference.
The relationship is not an addition to the care being delivered. It is an essential part of the care itself.
What qualities make a great care worker, and what would you say to someone considering a career in homecare for the first time?
A great care worker needs empathy, patience, kindness, reliability and the ability to listen. They need to understand that every person is different and that good care starts with seeing the individual, not just their needs.
You also need resilience, good communication skills and a willingness to learn, because the role can be challenging but incredibly rewarding.
To anyone considering a career in care, I’d say don’t underestimate what you can achieve in this sector.
You have the opportunity to make a genuine difference to someone’s life every day, support your local community and have a significant impact on a person’s wellbeing and independence.
I started as a care worker at a very early age, and the opportunities I’ve had throughout my career have shown me just how many different pathways care can offer. You can develop specialist skills, move into leadership, influence services and help shape the future of care.
It’s a career where you can make a difference every day while building a future for yourself.
Looking ahead, how do you see homecare evolving over the next five years, and what role could technology and more connected services play?
I think home care will become increasingly proactive, personalised, and connected over the next five years.
Technology will play a huge role in helping people remain independent for longer. This could include remote monitoring, smart home technology, digital care planning and tools that help identify changes in someone’s health or wellbeing before they become a crisis.
I also see significant opportunities for homecare to become more joined up with NHS services and other community-based support.
By sharing information more effectively and working collaboratively, we can make better-informed decisions, ensure people receive the right support at the right time from the right team, and reduce avoidable hospital admissions.
The future should be about creating a more connected system where health and social care work together around the individual, rather than operating in separate parts of the system.
However, technology should never replace the human element of care. It should support care workers by giving them better information and more time to focus on meaningful interactions.
The real opportunity is bringing together skilled people, technology, and connected services to deliver better outcomes and help people live well in their own homes and communities for longer.
On a more personal note, what’s one thing about working in homecare that you think will always stay with you, no matter how much the sector changes?
I think it will always be the people.
The individuals and families we support, the care workers who go above and beyond every day, and the colleagues who share the same passion for making a difference.
Having started as a care worker myself, I’ll always remember the importance of the person behind the care plan and the impact that even the smallest act of kindness can have.
I’ll also always value the role homecare plays in keeping people connected to their families, friends and local communities, enabling them to remain independent and continue living the lives they want to live.
The sector will continue to change, and I’m excited about what the future holds, particularly around technology, workforce development and stronger partnerships with health services.
But the fundamental reason we do what we do will never change: helping people live well, with dignity, independence and the support they need to remain in the place they call home.
Discover home care and career oppportunities at Kensa Health
Whether you're exploring home care services for yourself or a loved one, or considering a rewarding career in care, Kensa Health is here to support you.
Our dedicated teams provide high-quality, person-centred home care across Barnsley, Bournemouth, Plymouth, and Torbay & South Hams, helping people maintain their independence and continue living well at home.
We're also passionate about supporting our care workers, offering opportunities to develop new skills, progress professionally and make a meaningful difference in their communities.
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