What is CareCubed Cost of Care?

Social care budgets across the UK are under unprecedented pressure. Since the early 2000s, many councils have approached Section 114 conditions, and recent CCN figures show some authorities allocating over 70% of their total budget to social care. In response to these long-standing pressures, IESE developed the Care Funding Calculator in the mid 2000s, now evolved into CareCubed Cost of Care, a modern, data-driven cost benchmarking tool. 

What is CareCubed Cost of Care? 

CareCubed Cost of Care is a secure, online care benchmarking platform designed to bring clarity and consistency to care costs. It enables commissioners and providers to have transparent, evidence-based conversations about fees, using a shared structure and a person-centred, needs-based approach.  

The tool gives decision-makers reliable data, annual updates, and clear metrics to understand the true cost of meeting individual care needs. Today, 70% of UK councils and more than 100 care providers rely on CareCubed Cost of Care to build a more accurate picture of costs on the ground. 

The Benefits of CareCubed Cost of Care 

CareCubed Cost of Care delivers a structured, evidence-based approach to understanding the relationship between individual needs, the support provided, and the cost of delivering that care. While it helps local authorities achieve better financial oversight, it also has a significant impact on the wider quality output of commissioning and relationship benefits that make sustainable care achievable. 

Lydia Wootton, Product Owner of CareCubed Cost of Care, has years of experience working with the tool, and feels its benefits are integrated to provide whole sector improvements.“CareCubed Cost of Care supports collaboration, transparency and clarity by offering a consistent and granular approach to reflecting the needs of an individual and the cost of delivering that care” 

Optimising Care Funding  

CareCubed Cost of Care offers clear benefits to budget management. By benchmarking fees against reliable localised data, commissioners can identify outliers, validate provider proposals, and challenge costs that do not reflect assessed needs. This reduces overspend and ensures that funding is applied fairly across services. Case Studies from councils such as Lancashire and Leicestershire demonstrate how the tool supports significant cost avoidance and helps stabilise high-pressure budgets in complex placements, with a reduction in overspend of more than £1 million for local authorities such as Lancashire. 

The result of this is increased transparency and a defensible approach to spending that strengthens sustainability across the sector. 

Shared Person-Centred Views of Needs 

At the heart of the tool, there is a direct link to provision. By standardising processes and how commissioners understand support needs, CareCubed enables commissioners and providers to work from the same understanding. This reduces any ambiguity and supports a more consistent format for planning. It also anchors every discussion with an unambiguous evidence base. This helps to ensure that packages genuinely reflect the individuals’ goals, abilities, and support requirements, which leads to a more tailored, person-centred commissioning style. 

Improved Commissioner – Provider Relationships 

The tool creates an opportunity for honest and transparent dialogue. The evidence-led data enables discussion around individual care needs, outcomes and targets, and support required to meet these goals. Providers can gain clarity around how decisions are made and engage in transparent dialogue with commissioners. It also enables commissioners to gain insight into the requirements for different care needs to right-size packages. Having a shared framework aids in reducing friction and encourages partnership working. 

Best Practice and Confidence  

CareCubed Cost of Care provides councils with a repeatable, auditable method for decision-making. Whether packages are being commissioned or reviewed, teams can rely on the same structure for consistent benchmarking practice. This reduces confusion and streamlines workflows. Having a consistent framework drives the whole team’s confidence in maintaining best practices and makes discussions around funding more collaborative and productive.

Supporting Independence and Progression 

The tool assists teams in understanding what is being delivered and what is needed; it supports progressive planning for individuals. When needs change or a person strives towards further independence, the tool provides the structure to review support levels and engage in discussions around package adjustments with more clarity. This benefits those receiving care, enabling more fluid progression toward autonomy. Furthermore, it also assists providers in managing workforce capacity by ensuring support is proportionate and in alignment with needs. Cambridgeshire County Council noted in a case study how CareCubed helped them develop their provider relationships and work in partnership to right-size care packages more effectively. Cases like such underline how, with the right support, an individual who required 2-1 support can eventually reduce to 1-1, and later gain independence. 

Why CareCubed Works for You 

CareCubed has been built on a robust methodology based on 16 years of experience, as a secure web-based tool, established in line with the Care Act, with twice-annually updated data. It serves as a benchmarking tool for many commissioners and as a tool to communicate cost validation for providers.  

CareCubed Cost of Care tool assists with the operationalisation and sensemaking of social care commissioning services, bolstering the care sector to help meet the growing demand in the UK.