For UK social care providers
Referrers send residents to providers they already know, and you're not in that list
GPs and hospital discharge teams default to familiar names. Without a structured way to build those relationships, you stay reactive, and every unfilled bed costs you hundreds a week in lost revenue and fixed costs.
Two minutes. Solva follows up with specific referral development options.
- GP practices consistently refer patients to a small network of familiar care homes, overlooking others
- Hospital discharge teams struggle to find up-to-date information on bed availability and specialist services in private care homes
- New private care providers find it exceptionally difficult to establish initial contact and build trust with key NHS referrers
- Communication breakdowns lead to inappropriate referrals or delayed discharges, impacting patient flow and bed management
- Increased administrative burden for staff trying to manage fluctuating occupancy and ad-hoc referrals
- Inefficient resource allocation, including staffing levels, due to unpredictable demand
- Significant revenue loss from unfilled beds, potentially hundreds of thousands of pounds annually for larger facilities
- Reduced profitability and return on investment, impacting future development and quality improvements
- Delayed patient discharges from acute hospitals, leading to poorer patient outcomes and increased risk of hospital-acquired infections
- Patients not being placed in the most appropriate care setting for their needs due to limited referrer knowledge
- Perception of the private care provider as isolated or not integrated with local health systems
- Negative feedback from referrers regarding communication difficulties or lack of engagement
Failure to recognise common ground contributes to the difficulty of relationships between care home managers, senior care home staff and GPs. (BMJ Open, 2013)
Frequently asked questions
Why does this problem persist?
Care homes and social care providers often lack dedicated resources or established mechanisms to proactively engage with hospitals, GPs, and local authority discharge teams. This results in a reactive approach to referrals, missing opportunities to showcase their services and build trust.
What is the cost of leaving it unaddressed?
An empty care home bed can cost a provider £488.55 per week in lost revenue and fixed costs. (Quality of Care, Unknown)
This is exactly what I do with UK private practices. Answer the few questions above and I'll come back personally with where to start. Paul.