Valuing Care are supporting Hertfordshire County Council with their residential cost of care submission. They are providing a seamless service that encompasses the collection of provider data and template checking.
The support includes:
- Helping Providers to complete the templates including 1-1 telephone support
- Managing the data collection process
- Checking provider templates for accuracy and consistency
- Identification of fair cost of care rates from the survey results
All of the data collected will use the IESE tool for residential and nursing. This will ensure a consistent approach can be taken regionally and help providers concentrate on one reporting format. The survey collection started in June 2022 and is well on its way towards completion. The target date is the end of August 2022.
In addition to supporting the survey collection, Hertfordshire County Council will have access to Valuing Care’s benchmark data for both domiciliary and residential care. These benchmarks can be used to analyse individual cost lines against the survey results.
This independent dataset, built up over the last 10 years, can give the local authority confidence that their statistical sample is accurate in the wider market. It can also provide an anchor point to challenge any survey figures that appear out of kilter from the wider market.
Using Valuing care to support the Fair Cost of Care Exercise in this way, Hertfordshire can be reassured that their market sustainability plan captures the balance between paying providers a sustainable rate and ensuring value for money for council taxpayers.
