The Challenge
- Understanding the true cost of placements.
- Ensuring both value for money and sustainability in Buckinghamshire.
The Solution
- Using CareCubed to benchmark existing and new placements.
- Use of the CareCubed tool to gain confidence and transparency in care costing.
- Support from the iESE team to deliver training and embed in council processes
Results
- A robust, logical and widely accepted methodology to support the negotiation process.
- Greater control of spiralling costs. • Confidence that the council is paying a fair and sustainable price for packages of care and support.
- A transparent solution which improved relationships with providers.
- £270k savings in year one.
- Accurate £80m procurement modelling.
- A pathway towards all-age commissioning
Buckinghamshire Council (BC) felt they needed greater transparency and understanding of the market to gain a deeper knowledge and clarity of their currently commissioned packages of care and whether they were right sized and represented value for money from the public purse.
In the first year of using CareCubed, BC made a saving of approximately £270k and embedded a logic, rationale and robust evidence base to support decision making.
“When I first looked at CareCubed we were thinking of using it for individual packages of commissioned support, however we have found the tool incredibly useful for understanding bed pricing and core costs for whole homes and services. With further exploration of the tool, it is hugely beneficial in a wide range of areas.”
While getting value for money when funding care was important for the council, ease of
commissioning and comprehension of the market was equally important for optimising how the local authority managed social care for both in and out of area placements.
Jessica Hunter, Strategic Commissioning Lead at Buckinghamshire Council, was introduced to the tool and immediately saw how it could be applied to bring benefits
to the council and residents. The council purchased Carecubed adult’s module in April 2024. A year later after reviewing 3 high-cost Children & Young People placements, the council are looking to implement and provide a consistent, all-age commissioning solution by February 2026. Buckinghamshire joins approximately 30% of local authorities now adopting the CareCubed Children’s module.
