Tim Cocking, Founder & CEO

Bright Care’s founder and CEO, Tim Cocking, has spent years building an award winning home care company that supports older people to live their later years with joy and purpose in their own homes. Under Tim’s expert leadership, Bright Care has grown from one small branch in Edinburgh, to multiple branches across the UK.

Why did Tim start Bright Care?

The idea for Bright Care came after Tim observed many families struggling to navigate the often complex and confusing range of care options available. He noticed that this frequently led to families receiving care that wasn’t the right fit, causing them to feel a loss of control over the care journey. Additionally, he felt that many existing care services seemed focused primarily on completing tasks rather than valuing social connection, companionship and meaningful relationships. This experience inspired him to create a care service for people in later life that is straightforward to access, centred on customer choice and built on the belief that human connection, relationships and companionship should always be at the heart of care.

Tim then spent 18 months working in a care home to gain the skills, knowledge and understanding needed to start his own care company.

In 2009, with a £5,000 loan from the Prince’s Trust Youth Business Scotland, Tim opened his first branch in Edinburgh where he was living at the time. He then proceeded to open branches across Scotland, winning Business of the Year in the 2012, The Prince’s Trust Regional Business Awards.

In 2019, Tim moved, with his family and a small team, to open his first branch in England. He has continued to open new branches and build a well respected in-home care company.

Tim’s values

From the start of the company, Tim has championed a culture where people are known by name, listened to, and supported to do their best work.​ As he has grown the business, Tim has hired a strong team of people who share his vision and live out the Bright Care values:

• Can Do: Bringing positive energy, embracing challenges, and focusing on solutions rather than problems.
• Own It: Taking personal responsibility for actions, showing pride, and seeing tasks through with excellence.

• Championing People: Celebrating others’ growth, finding individual sparks, and fostering success for both clients and staff.
• One Team: Working together, supporting colleagues, valuing camaraderie, and having fun.

Tim’s expertise in home care

Tim’s expertise is grounded in his many years of experience in the home care industry. Working with thousands of families over the years, Tim understands the client’s needs and knows how best to support them.

From the beginning, Tim has focused exclusively on private clients. This allows Bright Care to maintain uncompromising standards in recruitment, training and staff support by providing highly bespoke services without the constraints of short visit contracts.

Tim has always been committed to building meaningful relationships between clients and carers which is why Bright Care offers visits from two hours up to live-in care with the same regular carers.

Tim believes strongly in the benefit of local branches, local managers and local carers as this means Bright Care can guarantee a truly personalised service and can respond quickly to local needs.

Tim knows it’s imperative that the team are trained to the highest standard which is why he created our dedicated Bright Care Training Academy. This market leading training ensures all staff are equipped with the latest skills and expertise.

Finally, Tim understands the importance of offering a fully regulated and managed service. All Bright Care branches are inspected and rated ‘Very Good’ or ‘Excellent’ by the industry regulators (Care Quality Commission and Care Inspectorate).

Tim’s commitment to quality home care

Tim has always been deeply committed to delivering high-quality in-home care. This commitment runs through every part of Bright Care and is reflected in the way teams are recruited, trained and supported to do their best work.

External recognition is especially meaningful because it shines a light on the hard work, dedication and professionalism of all staff. It reassures families that the standards Tim set from the beginning are being lived out every day.

Many Bright Care clients and their families have taken the time to review our services and write a testimonial on Google, which is an important sign of the trust they place in us.

Bright Care’s consistently strong inspection results show a stable, well-managed service with clear values, robust systems and thoughtful leadership from the top. These independent checks add an extra layer of confidence for families when they choose Bright Care.

Over the years, Bright Care’s culture and commitment to quality have been recognised with a number of awards, including:

• Winners of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work 2024 and Highly Commended in the Best Places to Work for Employees Aged 55+
• Number one in the UK’s Top Health & Social Care Companies To Work For 2021
• The Sunday Times 100 Best Small Companies To Work For 2018
• We’re #10 in the Best Scottish Companies To Work For in 2018
• Scottish Care Housing Support Provider of the Year 2017

Tim’s trusted leadership

For families exploring care, we believe it is important to know who is behind the service. Tim’s story shows a leader with personal experience of the pressures of arranging care and a long-term commitment to offering something better. His decision to focus on regulated, private, companionship-led care gives families a clear, consistent model they can understand and rely on.​

By combining strong personal values, regulated services inspected by the Care Inspectorate and CQC, and a team of well-trained, well-supported Bright Carers, Tim has created an in-home care service that families can trust. For older people across Scotland and England, that means care at home that is safe, respectful and truly centred on their life, their choices and their dignity.​

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