In many ways brokers are in the eye of the storm within the social care system. So much hinges on their ability to efficiently place care packages with approved providers. Brokerage teams arrange transfers from hospital beds to community-based services, they ensure care needs assessments are matched to available provision, and that care users aren’t left high and dry if a particular provider can no longer meet their needs.
Perhaps brokerage was always an under appreciated link in the chain. Yet it was often the point where the strain caused by mismatches between supply and demand for services was noticed first.
The pandemic opened even more gaps in the system as care staff became ill or had to isolate and care homes were closed to new residents. What all of this underlined was the heroic efforts care brokerage teams had been performing for many years to keep an imperfect system running.
If we are, at last, fully appreciating the critical role played by brokers, it makes sense to ask whether they are being given the support they deserve. Is the care system simply expecting too much? And how could their job be made easier?
Where Does the Time Go?
In the world of social care brokerage, time elapses waiting for providers to respond to emails notifying them of new care packages. Working hours get burned up phoning and chasing care providers to see if they’ve had the chance to review packages and whether they plan to bid for them. Updating spreadsheets manually and simply sharing information also sucks hours out of the working week.
All of this means more stress and less time to work proactively with the provider network to improve standards and plan for evolving needs.
eBrokerage by UDMs gives precious time back to brokerage teams. It’s a secure cloud-based marketplace in which care packages are brokered efficiently – without a single spreadsheet or email. It maintains all data and communications within one platform.
It saves time and stress and it’s usually self-funding. It’s also easy to procure through the G-Cloud 12 framework, via Ulysses eBrokerage Cloud Software.
Maybe it’s time to show brokerage teams a little love and take a closer look at what eBrokerage can do.