The care sector is facing huge challenges at the current time. Stagnant revenue growth and increasing costs are squeezing profitability for many care providers.

At the Care Show, Bournemouth International Centre, 29th and 30th March 2011, Auditel Cost Management Consultants Kien Lac and Terry Crouch will discuss how to tackle spiralling costs and ultimately sustain or even improve the bottom line performance under these difficult economic conditions.

Their keynote presentation will cover the issues of:

• Why it is important for businesses to control their costs, especially in difficult times
• Why sustainable cost management activity is more effective than a simple cost reduction
• What is ‘financial waste’ and where it can be found
• How to undertake effective Cost Management, through practical case study examples
• The key considerations that any business can apply to help them manage their costs and successfully navigate the challenges now and into the future.

Auditel is the premier independent specialist cost management consultancy in the UK, currently working with over 3,200 businesses – managing and saving millions of pounds of essential business overheads on their behalf.
Kien Lac, who has specialised in cost management throughout his career, says: “Managing and reducing costs routinely and sustainably is a proven and powerful way of optimising any organisation’s profitability. Unfortunately, there are no short-cuts, as effective cost management requires a discipline of continuous analysing, understanding, influencing and monitoring of costs and the drivers of those costs. Not all businesses have the depth of resource or expertise to undertake cost management to this level of rigour. But there are still options for managers of these types of businesses to gain the benefits of proactive cost management without having to dedicate resource or valuable time to it.”

Terry Crouch adds: “We at Auditel, for example, offer a free Business Health Check which provides a thorough examination of all business expenditure and identifies any opportunities for savings and efficiency. Coupled with our performance driven contingency fee model, this means that our service is self-funding, with no up-front fees and no hidden charges, giving clients maximum results with minimum involvement!”

Recent case studies indicate the kind of savings which Auditel has achieved with care organisations:

• Brunelcare is a provider of accessible care and services for older people and an originator of the Meals on Wheels concept. Auditel identified and realised total savings of £105,500, using processes and industry expertise that the Client would not have had in-house.
• Action Housing & Support is a charitable organisation with 10 offices working with vulnerable and socially excluded people. Total savings to date of £42,855, covering energy and communications.
• JenCare Homes Ltd operates a 56-bed private care home. The first two cost areas reviewed by Auditel alone yielded £11,000 savings a year, with ongoing reviews under way to identify further opportunities for improving efficiency and reducing energy consumption.

Allen Chapman, owner of JenCare Homes Ltd comments: “Trying to keep costs under control is a constant battle. Having Auditel on board is like having an additional team member without the hassle of employer legislation.” Of the £11,000 annual savings achieved on the first two projects, he says: “This money can now be put to much better use, helping towards the cost of maintaining and improving the facilities for the residents.”
At the Care Show, owners, directors and managers of care homes and other care providers with responsibility for optimising profitability in their businesses will find refreshing new ideas and much to encourage and inspire. Kien and Terry are really looking forward to welcoming visitors to their presentation at 12.15pm in the MyBusiness Seminar Theatre or at stand S111 in the Solent Exhibition Hall!