There are many benefits of working with a healthcare specific business consultant, so we’ve spent the morning documenting our top benefits to help you understand why external support is so critical to your business.

Firstly, what is a business consultant?

A business consultant is a professional who provides expert advice and strategic guidance to help you improve your performance, solve problems, and achieve your business objectives. Business consultants can work with a variety of industries or specialize in certain areas, like we do in the healthcare sector.

So, what is the difference between a general business consultant and a healthcare business consultant like Jill?

A healthcare-specific business consultant, like Jill, specifically helps companies who operate in the healthcare industry. For example, homecare agencies, domiciliary care providers, dentists, GPs, care homes, respite support, healthcare staffing agencies and more; to improve, stabilize, grow and achieve their business objectives.  Jill, working as a healthcare specific consultant helps you understand the unique challenges you face, while also creating solutions.

Understanding the challenges that face the healthcare industry.

The healthcare sector faces a variety of challenges that impact its effectiveness, sustainability, and ability to meet the needs of patients, such as funding and financial pressures, staff shortages, an aging population, public and health challenges such as diabetes, obesity and mental health disorders. There is also the inequality in health outcomes across different countries, regions and demographic groups to consider, and let’s not forget about pandemic preparedness after the many highlighted vulnerabilities the healthcare system faced during COVID-19, opening a need for better preparedness for future public health emergencies.

Addressing these challenges will require coordinated efforts from stakeholders within the healthcare sector, and globally too, including policymakers, providers, and community organizations.

Now that we understand the challenges, we can look at the benefits of working with a healthcare specific consultant to ensure these challenges are not only addressed but that plans are put in place to address them for the future success of our companies.

Here are the top ten benefits:

1. Industry Expertise:

Healthcare consultants possess specialized knowledge of the healthcare landscape, including regulations, standards, and best practices, which helps organizations navigate the complex regulations that make up the healthcare sector. This industry knowledge allows healthcare consultants to work with businesses while also complying with the standards set by regulatory bodies such as the CQC and the Care Inspectorate Scotland for example. It also helps businesses to choose the right software, such as care planning software. In the UK we have popular solutions like CarePlanner and SystmOne for example, or effective ECM systems like Kare Innovations and Sekoia. Knowledge needed in the healthcare sector is vast and a healthcare consultant will always stay ahead of the curve to effectively guide you, while also ensuring that service users are at the heart of all recommendations they make to healthcare business owners.

2. Regulatory Compliance:

Healthcare specific consultants can assist healthcare business owners in understanding and adhering to regulatory requirements (such as CQC standards, General Medical Council or Nursing and Midwifery Council), helping to avoid penalties and ensuring that patient care and data protection standards are met. It also allows them to help business owners achieve and maintain ‘good’ ratings of care, essential if an organization plans to grow their client base and put their service users at the heart of their decisions. When working with a healthcare business consultant, they will help you:

1. Ensure patient data protection and privacy and ensure compliance with the data protection act.
2. Maintain adherence of quality care standards.
3. Ensure processes are implemented to confirm patient safeguarding.
4. Keep up to date with changing guidelines and regulations.

3. Operational Efficiency:

Consultants can:

• analyze current processes and identify inefficiencies.
• recommend improvements that lead to streamlined operations and better resource management, ultimately enhancing patient care.
• produce policies and procedures that enhance quality assurance.
• help analyze procedures to ensure person-centred care.
• help carers with understanding the importance of helping service users with positive risk taking.
• find assistive technology that helps a service user reduce their dependency on care.

4. Strategic Planning and Development:

They help healthcare organizations develop and implement strategic plans that align with their vision and objectives, enabling effective growth and development in a competitive market while also ensuring that the business owner’s objectives are taken into consideration.

A company will always perform when a business owner understands what they are working towards, believes in their vision and is passionate about what they’re doing. A healthcare business consultant can truly support the business owner to ensure they live their vision every day.

5. Cost Management and Financial Performance:

Healthcare consultants can provide insights into:

• financial performance
• cost reduction strategies
• reimbursement optimization

This helps organizations improve their overall financial health.

A lot of healthcare business owners don’t know how to charge for their services, they struggle to set hourly rates for care and to understand operational overheads and taxes. A healthcare business consultant will help them analyze every cost to truly build a pricing strategy that helps aid company stability and growth.

6. Improved Service User Experience:

By working on process improvements, staff training, and service redesign, consultants can enhance patient engagement and satisfaction, leading to better health outcomes and service reputation. Methods could include:

1. 1. Implementing effective feedback channels, so the service can be improved based on patient feedback.
   2. Ensuring care plans are co-developed with service users and their support network.
   3. That the business has a solid knowledge of what assistive technology is available, allowing the patient to achieve their own goals and objectives.
   4. That they have an understanding of the local community and the support available from stakeholders and;
   5. That training and staff management is consistent to ensure effective patient services, happiness, safety and wellbeing.

7. Change Management:

Healthcare organizations often undergo significant changes (e.g., technology adoption, restructuring). Consultants can provide guidance on effective change management, helping to minimize resistance and ensure smooth transitions. This will put staff at ease, support with high staff retention during these unsettling periods and educate business owners on how to manage change effectively so that the business doesn’t struggle, instead, thrives. One of the core objectives of any care agency is continuity of care. Managing change is essential to ensure adherence to this critical care objective.

8. Technology and Innovation Implementation:

Consultants offer expertise in selecting and implementing healthcare technologies, such as:

• electronic health records (EHRs).
• telehealth solutions.
• data analytics tools.

This can enhance service delivery and operational effectiveness. It can also reduce dependency on care which when working on government contracts will be a core goal of buying organizations. A healthcare consultant will ensure mistakes that have been made by other organizations, are not made again. A good healthcare consultant will have a good ‘lessons learned’ log to help educate business owners on making the right technical decisions based on core company objectives.

9. Market Insights and Competitive Analysis:

They conduct market research and competitive analysis to:

• identify trends
• find opportunities.
• Mitigate threats
• enable business owners to make informed strategic decisions.

This research and knowledge helps to:

• save money.
• creates innovation which helps enhance the value proposition of a business’s offering
• shows business owners where they should be investing any surplus funds to enhance market share and win new contracts.

What is attractive to government buyers and private buyers can differ, this insight for your sales and marketing strategy can be essential. See our resources page, we’ve included many research papers which your leadership team will find useful.

10. Employee Training and Development:

Healthcare-specific consultants provide tailored training programs to improve staff skills and capabilities. This fosters a culture of continuous improvement and enhancing organizational performance. At Safeguard Business Support  we have:

• training masterclasses, such as Tender VLE, via our partner Hudson Outsourcing.
• resources to help educate your leadership and delivery teams in areas like:
  • person-centred care.
  • assistive technology.
  • safeguarding.
  • bid writing.
  • operational management.
  • quality control.
  • environmental sustainability.
• so much more within our subscriber platform. Employee training and development is a core delivery strand of any good business consultant.

In conclusion, now that you understand why a healthcare business consultant is so critical to the stability and growth of your business, reach out to Safeguard Business Support.