Home Healthcare Contracts
Across the United Kingdom, close to one million residents currently receive home care each year, and these estimates are projected to increase by more than 57 percent between 2018 and 2038.
England makes up the majority of people receiving home care, with over 814,000 people in home care as of 2020, according to estimates provided by the National Audit Office.
Demand for private sector home care has steadily increased in recent years, following the pandemic, as larger portions of the UK population begin to age and more and more people require necessary fragile and medical attention such as domiciliary services.
These demographic changes have presented the public sector with tremendous new challenges, often seeking guidance and assistance from private enterprise organisations to provide innovative long-term solutions that are sustainable, provide value for money, and promote high-quality social and homecare services for all patrons across the healthcare sector.
Personal care contract best practices
Through the procurement process, new personal care and domiciliary care contracts are continuously made available for private organisations. These homecare contracts and paid carer contracts ensure that the government provides the aging population with the necessary medical treatment and care they desire.
Qualifications
Ensure that your agency and all staff members have the necessary qualifications to provide domiciliary care services. This would further mean that your agency and all staff members that provide home care or related services are registered with the Care Quality Commission (CQC), or an equivalent. Ensure that with all contract opportunities, you include home care services and support provided by your agency, and whether you are CQC registered or provide the necessary documention regarding CQC registration when applicable.
Experience
Not only is having the right qualifications important, but experience in the field of home care plays a similar role of importance. When applying for carer tenders or any similar domiciliary care services, you will need to indicate your experience and knowledge as a home care agency. By providing testimonials or proof of experience, you can potentially improve your chances of standing out against competitors.
Responsibilities
Personal care contracts will typically provide information regarding the responsibilities of the contract and what is expected of homecare agencies throughout service delivery. Make sure that your agency fulfills all the responsibilities to the best of your knowledge and experience. While it’s not always possible to meet this threshold, agencies are encouraged to only apply if they already have proven experience, and can actively fill the requirements of the contract.
Training
Another important consideration is whether the contract will provide training for employees, once the contract has been awarded. Oftentimes, contracts will highlight the level of care required, including the responsibilities and duties of all employees, however, the active duty may change from time to time and is based on where the contract may be applied. Make sure to carefully read through all the information to see whether training sessions will be provided beforehand, and if not, what are alternative ways to improve the social care experience for all patrons.
Rights
Both carers and those receiving personal care will have a set of rights outlined by specific policies and agreements. In this event, it’s important to review all the rights assigned to you as a supplier. More than this, review the rights of the patients, and understand what channels exist in the event an employee or patient’s rights are breached.
Additionally, one will need to review all available information on budget expenditures that have been allocated to wages. For example, the UK Homecare Association has increased the minimum price for homecare to £25.95 per hour in England, as of April 2023. However, not all councils will have the budgetary means to meet this threshold. For instance, similar insights show that the Derbyshire County Council pays a standard hourly rate of £18.60 for face-to-face commissioned activity for the 2023/2024 financial year.
Keep in mind that these figures will vary from county to county and even between cities. Yet, when bidding for a domiciliary care tender, it’s important to review such information and regard the tender response time needed to bring forth any queries or concerns regarding domiciliary contracts and frameworks for supporting people, including residents and staff.
Documentation
Applying for UK home care and private home care contracts is not without a tremendous amount of paperwork. Although a lot of this is now completed online, make sure that your agency has all the documentation necessary to complete the tender application. Additionally, make sure that you present all caregiver information, including licenses and qualifications, during the process.
Bid writing for home care providers
Another part of the process is writing a successful bid that is used to review your agency’s potential, competence, and level of experience for social care services and consider the importance of social value.
Bid writing for home care contracts requires a generous amount of research and industry insight, so it’s best advised to partner with an experienced procurement specialist, such as Health Contracts International (HCI), to assist with compiling a winning bid.
Keep in mind the following when writing your home care provider contract bid:
Present your experience
Make sure that you highlight all the relevant experiences in the field. This should include previous work or contracts that you have completed. Additionally, you can state the level of caregiver experience, and present a compelling case of how many years of industry-focused caregiving experience your dedicated team has for a better chance to win healthcare tenders.
Use research to support your bid
Take the time to research the market and spending trends. HCI provides clients with both a market analysis tool and a spending tracker. HCI clients also have access to bid archive resources, which will help them gain valuable insights about previous social care tenders, and how to write a winning bid with the help of data and research.
Tender writing for domiciliary care tenders and other tender opportunities in the healthcare industry required substantial research and quantitative data to help support the proposal throughout the tendering process period.
Provide value for money
Indicate how your agency will provide high-quality services and value for money. It’s important to use tools such as the HCI spend analysis platform to better understand how previous contract awardees have used funds allocated by the contract. Public contracts are typically awarded to organisations that can prove the best value for money, without compromising on quality and service.
Carer recruitment strategies for home care
Master Home Care Tenders
Demystify the complex world of home care tendering with our expert insights and step-by-step guidance. From identifying high-value opportunities to crafting winning bids, we pave the way for securing valuable caregiver contracts and expanding your reach.
Secure Lucrative Caregiver Contracts
Gain a competitive edge in the dynamic career tender landscape. We provide data-driven strategies and industry-specific knowledge to maximise your chances of securing lucrative contracts and attracting top-tier carers to your team. Another way to improve your chances of securing healthcare tenders is through networking and connecting with relevant stakeholders. This can be either through a market engagement event; council meetings; becoming part of a homecare agency; or by using tools provided by Healthcare Contracts International.
Navigate Private Home Care
Uncover the intricacies of private home care contracts and unlock new client segments. We equip you with the tools and knowledge to confidently navigate this rapidly growing market and establish long-term partnerships with private clients. Market engagement events and help you better understand the service users and council needs.
Expand Your Portfolio
Diversify your offerings and cater to diverse needs with domiciliary care contracts. We guide you through the unique dynamics of this market, helping you secure rewarding homecare service contracts and deliver high-quality care to clients in their own homes.
Build Trust & Win Bids
Craft compelling proposals and tenders with our expert bid writing services. We leverage industry best practices and personalised storytelling to showcase your competitive edge and secure the trust of clients and decision-makers.
Win Home Care Contracts With HCI
Winning home care contracts and carer tenders can become a challenging industry to navigate. However, with the necessary guidance and support, and using up-to-date advanced technology to help support you along the way, you can improve your bidding strategy and further elevate your chances of winning private home care contracts and providing the community with exceptional service and care.
