Nurse Next Door Home Care Services has been honoured to be recognised at the inaugural Franchise Industry Awards, presented by the Franchise Council of Australia, as both Franchisor of the Year (51+ units) and overall Australian Franchisor of the Year 2025 across all categories. This accolade reflects the organisation’s unwavering commitment to excellence in home care, continuous innovation, and the strength of its franchise network across Australia.
Built on the core purpose of Making Lives Better, this recognition highlights not only the dedication of Nurse Next Door’s Franchise Partners and team at HeartQuarters, but also the trust placed in the brand by thousands of Australian families who rely on its care every day.
Amber Biesse CEO and Matt Fitton COO (Co-Founders Nurse Next Door Australia)
From a Bold Vision to National Impact
Melbourne couple Amber Biesse and Matt Fitton lived in Vancouver between 2016 and 2018. During that time, while exploring potential business ventures for their return to Australia, they experienced a moment of serendipity when they spotted a distinctive Bold Pink Nurse Next Door car and decided to “look them up”. That spark of curiosity led them to discover a purpose driven Canadian franchise brand with ambitions to expand into Australia. This provided the couple with the perfect business opportunity, deciding to acquire the Master Franchise Licence for Nurse Next Door in Australia.
Nurse Next Door officially launched in Australia in 2019, with the opening of a corporately owned location in Melbourne. Nurse Next Door Melbourne provided the foundation to gain insights into the local market and refine business operations through hands-on experience.
Every element of the brand was carefully adapted to align with Australia’s regulatory requirements, cultural nuances, and client expectations. The focus was on creating locally relevant materials, systems, and messaging that would genuinely resonate with Australian families while remaining true to the Nurse Next Door’s core purpose and values.
The vision and commitment of the Co-Founders has shaped every part of the business, attracting high-calibre Franchise Partners, who have built thriving operations in a remarkably short time. Franchise development began soon after the Melbourne launch, with the first franchise location opening on the Gold Coast in May 2020. Since then, growth has accelerated, with 77 active territories operating across the country and continued strong interest from individuals passionate about customer service, operational excellence, and making a meaningful impact in their communities.
Purpose-Driven Growth
Nurse Next Door’s success stems from a strategy deeply rooted in purpose. The organisation’s goal is to be Australia’s most trusted and respected home care provider, not just in size, but in service quality, innovation, and community contribution. The brand is committed to delivering care across metropolitan and regional communities, ensuring that geography never limits access to quality support.
Central to this growth is a franchise model that prioritises local ownership. Franchise Partners live in the communities they serve, bringing deep local knowledge that fosters trust, builds relationships, and ensures tailored care. Around half of all locations are owned or operated by Registered Nurses, enhancing clinical expertise and delivering credibility across both the aged care and NDIS provider sectors.
Nurse Next Door also champions entrepreneurial nurses and professionals, offering pathways to ownership that enable individuals to turn their passion for care into meaningful, sustainable businesses.
Nurse Next Door Australia Annual Conference 2024
Staying Ahead in Aged Care
Nurse Next Door’s recognition as Franchisor of the Year reflects not only the brand’s strong foundation, but also its ability to evolve and meet the changing needs of the aged care sector. One of the most significant advancements in the past year has been Nurse Next Door’ Australia’s approval as a Government Approved Home Care Package (HCP) provider.
This milestone marks a major step forward for the brand and its clients. As an approved provider, Nurse Next Door’s Franchise Partners can now deliver government-subsidised aged care services directly — without relying on third-party arrangements. This streamlines the care journey for clients and families, offering greater choice, transparency, and continuity of care under one trusted umbrella.
Becoming a government-approved provider also strengthens Nurse Next Door’s position as a comprehensive care provider, allowing the organisation to serve clients across both aged care and disability support needs. It reinforces the brand’s credibility within the industry and reflects its commitment to delivering regulated, high-quality care to every Australian who chooses to age at home.
This achievement has not only opened new doors for clients but also expanded opportunities for Franchise Partners, creating a more diversified and sustainable revenue model within a growing sector.
These initiatives ensure that the model remains resilient, responsive, and ready to meet the future needs of Australian families.
Unwavering Franchise Partner Support
Franchise Partners are at the heart of Nurse Next Door’s success. Supporting their growth and success is a cornerstone of the business model and a key reason behind the Franchisor of the Year recognition. Nurse Next Door provides:
- Comprehensive training and business coaching — from a 12-week Foundations Training program including a full week of hands-on Immersion training at HeartQuarters in Melbourne and ongoing one-on-one mentorship tailored to each partner’s needs.
- A 24/7 Care Services Centre — handling scheduling, client calls, caregiver attendance in visits monitoring and administrative support so Franchise Partners can focus on growth and care quality.
- Detailed operational resources — including robust Operations and Clinical Care manuals and e-learning tools that ensure consistent, high-quality service delivery.
- A collaborative community — with annual conferences, regional visits, monthly network meetings, and strategic retreats where Franchise Partners contribute to shaping the future of the brand.
Nurse Next Door’s focus is on empowering local owners to build sustainable, impactful businesses that are Making Lives Better every day.
Delivering Impact at Scale
The Bold Pink Brand’s growth has been remarkable in the last 5 years of Franchising, a reflection of both the demand for quality home care services and the strength of its purpose-driven model. System-wide sales have risen substantially, with network revenue on track to surpass significant milestones.
Some of the Nurse Next Door Australia head office “HeartQuarters” team
Beyond these numbers, the organisation’s impact is demonstrated through:
- World-class client satisfaction — as shown by consistently high Net Promoter Scores.
- Strong workforce engagement and retention — supported by ongoing investment in training, development, and a culture of recognition.
- Franchise Partner success — with many locations achieving significant revenue growth and sustainable profitability within a few years of launch.
This recognition affirms that local ownership, national support, and a shared purpose can deliver meaningful outcomes for clients, communities, and Franchise Partners alike.
Making Lives Better Ahead
Being named Australian Franchisor of the Year is both a proud achievement and a call to action. It motivates Nurse Next Door to continue raising the bar, striving for excellence, and expanding its reach, so more Australians can access the care they deserve. Priorities for the future include:
- Expanding into underserved areas — ensuring equitable access to home care services across the country.
- Enhancing technology and systems — to make operations smarter, faster, and more client-focused.
- Growing service offerings — including post-operative care, hospital-in-the-home programs, and supported independent living options.
Amber Biesse CEO and Matt Fitton COO at Nurse Next Door HeartQuarters in Melbourne
Being recognised as Franchisor of the Year represents a significant milestone that belongs to the entire Nurse Next Door network; from our thriving network of 59 Franchise Partners, over half of whom are Registered Nurses, all united by a passion for wanting to make a difference in their local communities. Alongside them stands our exceptional support team at HeartQuarters, who share the same commitment to excellence as Amber and Matt do and go above and beyond to ensure our Franchise Partners are fully supported so they can reach their full potential.
Receiving the nation’s highest industry award is a testament to purpose, persistence, perspiration and the power of the collective that can be created within a franchise network. The franchise business model has allowed Nurse Next Door to scale exponentially, to help meet the seemingly unlimited demand in the Australian home healthcare space, without any compromise to service delivery or the quality of care provided. In fact, the bigger Nurse Next Door gets, the better our centralised support becomes. Our growth allows us to continually reinvest – whether that be in technology enhancements, strengthening our clinical quality and compliance oversight and policy making, to expanding our HeartQuarters team of subject matter experts, just to name a few
There is still so much more for us to achieve as a brand – more Franchise Partners to find, more local communities to serve and more lives to make better – and we’ll continue to move forward with the same passion and energy that has driven us since day one.
As Nurse Next Door celebrates this achievement, it remains focused on the future: continuing to lead with innovation, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to excellence in home care across Australia.
With a core purpose of Making Lives Better, Nurse Next Door, under the leadership of Melbourne-based Master Franchisors Matt Fitton and Amber Biesse, provides in-home aged care and disability support services built on our philosophy of Happier Ageing® focusing on Possibility rather than disability.
