Meet the Team

Meet the Team

Our consultants are cost of care specialists with years of experience and knowledge of analysing provider returns, their accounts and constructing and reporting model rates.

Ray Hart, CIPFA Qualified
Director

One of the founders of the company with responsibility for business development. Ray’s work includes advising senior members of the NHS and Local Government on the care market and in particular the cost of care. He is also responsible for the media management of the company and has provided commentary on BBC Radio 4 and 5 as well as national newspapers.

Formerly a Director and Assistant Director in Local Government he has a wealth of experience at a senior level in Finance, Commissioning and IT.

Jim White, CIMA Qualified
Senior Finance Consultant

Jim is responsible for bespoke financial models, benchmarking and assessment of value, pricing strategy, contract review, commercial negotiations and report writing.

He helps develop a range of cost models which estimate what health and social care services should cost, facilitating cost benchmarking and identification of where value is not being achieved.

Jim successfully leads numerous cost surveys for local authorities and health commissioning groups which identified the usual cost of providing services locally, providing advice on future rate setting for services. He supports independent provider organisations to review their cost structure, to identify potential efficiencies and assist their pricing strategy / inform tender prices.

Angie Wadsworth
Operations and Product Manager

Leading The Operations Team, Angie ensures that all customer projects run smoothly and meet quality standards. 

With a background in both direct care provision and the implementation of complex social care databases across both adults and childrens services for many Local Authorities, Angie understands how to enable the smooth running of complex public sector projects.

Angie has a wealth of experience in managing all aspects of a successful project including GDPR requirements / Freedom of Information requests, IT Training, Process Reengineering and Workforce Transformation. She is responsible for the development of Valuing Care’s Software Portfolio providing the essential interface between technical experts and the user experience.

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Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council Choose Valuing Care to help them better understand their residential Care Costs

Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council Choose Valuing Care to help them better understand their residential Care Costs

With the DHSC October deadline fast approaching, BCP Council recognised they needed to better understand their core provider costs in their local market. 

Looking across their services they concentrated on three key areas:  

  • Older People’s Residential and Nursing Care
  • Older People’s Domiciliary Care 
  • Learning Disabilities Residential, both in and out of the Local Authority area

Following recommendations from neighbouring councils they chose Valuing Care to support them across the projects. The company recommended taking a different approach in the two service areas to ensure the better match the particular cost structures of their core markets.

Older People’s Residential and Domiciliary Cost of Care Reviews

Valuing Care is conducting a full survey of all care homes for older people and domiciliary providers within the BCP Council area. The company is meeting with provider representatives to explain the process and answer any initial questions they had. 

The company will use the LGA toolkit for home care and the IESE tool for residential. By doing so it is hoped that this will increase consistency and take-up.

Using the survey data, Valuing Care will use their skills and experience to create a report. This report will be used as the basis for setting fee rates for 2022/23 and will include:

  • Aggregated Provider survey returns analysed for reasonableness and reported using Median rate analysis
  • A comprehensive benchmarking exercise against Valuing Care’s independent model rates which have been built up through over 50 area wide surveys over the last decade

In addition, the company will collect self-funder pricing information which will provide the Council with a dataset and methodology ready for setting the metered Care Cap rate and First Party Top Ups. This comprehensive approach will be crucial for any scrutiny the new Care Cap rate will receive ready for its implementation in October 2023. 

 
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Creating a Sustainable Learning Disabilities Cost Model using Valuing Care’s Purchaser Software 

Whilst not directly relating to the DHSC FCOC deadline, The Council wanted to create a sustainable framework for all their residential placements. This included one that could be used for Learning Disabilities for both new placements and reviewing existing placements.

In addition, with so many placements spread across the southwest they want to be sure that any model they used could be flexed to meet geographical variations. Based on this, they asked Valuing Care to collect information on all their current residential packages and load them onto their Purchaser software to create a BCP specific cost model.  

 

By proceeding in this way BCP Council created a long lasting and maintainable record that they could easily update going forward. 

Working in partnership with Valuing Care they are collecting:

  • Underlying cost details of their targeted residential packages
  • Staff rotas relating to each individual package
  • Comparing this information to Valuing Care’s national and local models to provide a detailed breakdown of cost per package
  • Storing all of this information into their own environment within the Purchaser software so all information can be captured once and reused over future years
  • Using Valuing Care’s software and models to manage inflation requests from providers

The project will leave BCP Council with all cases recorded on a central system with detailed breakdown of their costs. Going forward commissioners will be able to: 

  • Continuously compare current costs to Valuing Care’s model costs
  • Uplift cases by inflation in a targeted manner ensure value for money and sustainability
  • Review cases with the greatest variance, either by Provider, profitability or sustainability

If you are interested in knowing more about the Cost of Care review project or Valuing Care’s Purchaser software please contact us. 

For more information on Valuing Care’s benchmarking data link here

To view a video of the Purchaser software see below.

 

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14th June 2022 | Ray Hart
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Durham County Council work with Valuing Care to complete their Domiciliary Fair Cost of Care Exercise

Durham County Council work with Valuing Care to complete their Domiciliary Fair Cost of Care Exercise

In early 2022, Durham County Council contacted Valuing Care to discuss project support capacity in completing their Fair Cost of Care requirements for the DHSC. 

It was agreed that domiciliary care support provided the best approach and Valuing Care were tasked with the following:  
  • Understanding the current cost structure through surveying the market
  • Managing the data collection process 
  • Checking provider templates for accuracy and consistency
  • Creation of Valuing Care model benchmark rates to match the geographical area 
  • Final reporting and data loading

All of the data collected used the LGA toolkit so that a common approach could be taken regionally on reporting and data recording.

The survey collection is well underway with report writing due to start in June 2022. Once that is completed, the final proposed model rates for 2022/23 will be recommended to the Council. The report will be completed with sufficient time for the Council to complete their market sustainability report before the October 2022 deadline.

The project will leave Durham County Council with a verified statistical sample that has been benchmarked against Valuing Care’s own internal models.

By conducting the exercise in this way, they 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.

 
In addition, the information collected will provide the Council with a dataset and methodology ready for setting the metered Care Cap rate. This comprehensive approach will be crucial for any scrutiny the new Care Cap rate will receive ready for its implementation in October 2023.  Finally, all data collected with be uploaded into Valuing Care’s cost modelling tools. The software will ensure their commissioners have the skills and information to manage the market during the initial 3-year funding timescales set out in the DHSC guidance.  

Valuing Care will load the survey and benchmarking data onto their Commissioner software. This will enable the Council to systematically record the results and provide a platform for future years as they continue to manage and monitor a sustainable home care market.

If you are interested in knowing more about the project or Valuing Care’s Commissioner and Benchmarking software, please contact here. 

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To view a video of the Commissioner software see below. 

6th June 2022 | Ray Hart
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Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council

Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council

Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council Choose Valuing Care to help them better understand their residential Care Costs. With the DHSC October deadline fast approaching, BCP Council recognised they needed to better understand their core provider costs in their local market. Looking across their services they concentrated on three key areas:

These three areas are: 

    • Older People’s Residential and Nursing Care
    • Older People’s Domiciliary Care
    • Learning Disabilities Residential, both in and out of the Local Authority area

 

Following recommendations from neighbouring councils they chose Valuing Care to support them across the projects. The company recommended taking a different approach in the two service areas to ensure the better match the particular cost structures of their core markets.

Read more on how Valuing Care are supporting Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole Council here.

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Newham Council Work with Valuing Care to Help Them Meet the Conditions of the Market Sustainability and Fair Cost of Care Fund

Newham Council Work with Valuing Care to Help Them Meet the Conditions of the Market Sustainability and Fair Cost of Care Fund

The DHSC published guidance in December 2021 that set out conditions to access funding. 

Among others, these conditions included the need to:  
  • Conduct a cost of care exercise to determine the sustainable rates and identify how close they are to it
  • Engage with local providers to improve data on operational costs and number of self-funders to better understand the impact of reform on the local market (particularly the 65+ residential care market, but also additional pressures to domiciliary care)
  • Strengthen capacity to plan for, and execute, greater market oversight (as a result of increased section 18(3) commissioning) and improved market management to ensure markets are well positioned to deliver on our reform ambitions

Newham were keen to meet the requirements and were also aware that it had been some while since they had conducted a full local cost of care survey.

Following discussions, Valuing Care set out a bespoke project plan that took the DHSC guidance and combined this with Newham Council’s local needs. In addition, given the timescales, they were keen to bring in a company with experience based on previously completed projects of this nature.

The cost of care project will include the following client groups:

  • Market Surveys & Analysis – A robust and systematic approach to engage care providers to collect underlying cost data and validate reported costs. Sound statistical techniques to identify usual the costs of care within a locality.
  • Benchmarking – Valuing Care have used the collective intelligence from previous surveys to construct a range of cost models that calculate fair prices for services, reflecting local staffing costs and property values. This facilitates benchmarking of the local survey results, providing commissioners with increased confidence in what constitutes reasonable cost.
  • Reporting – Clear and accessible reporting that provides Commissioners with clear recommendations on what constitutes a fair price for services within a particular area. Development of pricing models which calculate a fair price for bespoke packages of care.
In addition, the information collected will provide the Council with a dataset and methodology ready for setting the metered Care Cap rate. This comprehensive approach will be crucial for any scrutiny the new Care Cap rate will receive ready for its implementation in October 2023.  Finally, all data collected with be uploaded into Valuing Care’s cost modelling tools. The software will ensure their commissioners have the skills and information to manage the market during the initial 3-year funding timescales set out in the DHSC guidance.  

The project will leave Newham Council with all cases recorded on a central system with a detailed breakdown of their costs. Going forward commissioners will be able to:

  • Underlying cost details of their targeted residential packages
  • Staff rotas relating to each individual package 
  • Comparing this information to Valuing Care’s national and local models to provide a detailed breakdown of cost per package
  • Storing all of this information into their own environment within the Purchaser software so all information can be captured once and reused over future years 
  • Using Valuing Care’s software and models to manage inflation requests from providers

The project will leave Newham Council with all cases recorded on a central system with detailed breakdown of their costs. Going forward commissioners will be able to:

  • Continuously compare current costs to Valuing Care’s model costs
  • Uplift cases by inflation in a targeted manner ensure value for money and sustainability
  • Conduct their own surveys which include data collection and uploading tools
  • Conduct scenario modelling for key variable such as regional Living Wage indexes
  • For Working Age Adults, review individual cases with the greatest variance, either by Provider, profitability, or sustainability

To view a video of the Purchaser and Commissioner software see below. 

If you are interested in knowing more about the Cost of Care review project or Valuing Care’s software please contact us.

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24th January 2022 | Ray Hart
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Southend City Council

Southend City Council

Southend City Council contacted Valuing Care to discuss project support capacity in completing their Fair Cost of Care requirements for the DHSC. For this exercise Valuing Care are supporting the survey collection exercise in both residential and domiciliary care.

The support includes: 

• Understanding the current cost structure through surveying the market  
• Managing the data collection process 

Read more on what Valuing Care are supporting Southend City Council with and what is planned here.

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Dorset Council

Dorset Council

With so many underlying pressures in the care market, Dorset Council recognised that they needed to tackle the situation through a detailed review of all their commissioned residential costs. As market leaders in the field, they chose Valuing Care to work on both projects, taking a different tact in the two areas to ensure they got the most value added from the work.

Dorset asked Valuing Care to collect information on all their current residential packages and load them onto their Purchaser software to create a Dorset specific cost model. 

Looking across the market they concentrated on two key areas:  

• Older People’s Residential and Nursing Care 
• Learning Disabilities Residential, both in and out of the County

Read our full article here

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Independent Age: Choosing the Right Care Home

Independent Age: Choosing the Right Care Home

People often find themselves doing this in a hurry when there’s a health crisis, but it’s a good idea to think about what you’d like sooner rather than later and discuss this with your family or friends.

Where to start
You should start by having a care needs assessment. This will give you more information about the care you need, and help you think about what support would be best for you. 

Choosing a care home to suit your care needs
There are various types of care home available, depending on the level and type of care you need. The outcome of your care needs assessment should give you an idea of which one would be right for you. If you’re moving as a couple, it can be more difficult to find a home to cater for both your needs

Residentail care homes
These offer personal care, including help with washing, eating and drinking, going to the toilet and taking medication. 

Care homes with nursing care
These offer personal care, but also have qualified nurses on duty at all times. They may specialise in particular illnesses or disabilities, such as dementia.

Care homes offering some residential and some nursing care places
These might be a good option if, for example, your condition is likely to deteriorate and you don’t want to move twice. 

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The Telegraph – Care crisis: this is why Britain’s care homes are charging the dead

The Telegraph – Care crisis: this is why Britain’s care homes are charging the dead

Part of the CMA’s investigation focuses on the terms of contracts entered into when family members enter a care home.  

The watchdog is concerned that homes may be breaking the law by charging large upfront fees when it’s not clear what services they relate to. The inquiry is also looking at cases where care homes continue to collect fees after the person in care has died. In some instances homes are filling beds still being paid for by other families, it is alleged.

Ray Hart of Valuing Care said the bigger issue was homes’ ability to raise charges by as much as they like. “There are cost pressure on them of course but basically these are open-ended contracts and each year they can raise the cost by as much as they like and they don’t give breakdowns explaining the increases.”

18 June 2017 | Subscription Required
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