The balance of quality care and cost efficiency is a continual challenge for care home groups. Care homes need to deliver high standards and comply with statutory requirements and work towards sustainability targets — all on tight budgets. One way to support these efforts is by simplifying and streamlining the purchasing of essential supplies through standardised purchasing.
Standardised purchasing reduces costs and aids in complying with Care Quality Commission (CQC) standards by assisting sustainability efforts through streamlined procurement processes. Here’s how a structured approach to purchasing can help care homes:
1. Reducing costs through supplier consolidation
Cost reduction is one of the key benefits of standardised purchasing. Purchasing regularly used items from a trusted supplier can help care homes access consistent pricing, reduce delivery costs, and ease day-to-day ordering processes.
Managing fewer suppliers also reduces admin time, with fewer invoices and simpler reordering, allowing teams to focus more on resident care.
In addition, consistent pricing from a preferred supplier helps to maintain more predictable budgets across the group.
2. Ensuring Consistency in Quality and Compliance
Meeting high-quality standards in care homes is vital for the well-being of residents and regulatory compliance. CQC audits assess care homes by their quality, safety, and sustainability of care. Streamlining purchases, for example, ensures that care home furniture or cleaning products are purchased from suppliers that adhere to the correct specifications and regulations, another important factor that care homes must navigate.
Product consistency can be better maintained when working with one supplier. From medical equipment to mobility aids and daily essentials, standardised products across facilities make it easy for staff to do their jobs well and accurately, which means safer and more effective care delivery.
Additionally, when all supplies meet the same guidelines, compliance with health and safety regulations is significantly easier. Care homes can be confident that core items such as industrial laundry detergent and medical supplies comply with best practices for hygiene and infection control.
3. Improving Sustainability and Waste Reduction
Sustainability is a growing priority in the care sector, with the CQC now considering environmental practices in its assessments. Using the same trusted supplier for multiple product types can help care homes make informed decisions around eco-friendly alternatives.
For example, switching to environmentally friendly cleaning products, reducing plastic waste, and improving energy efficiency in laundry and housekeeping routines can contribute to a more sustainable care home without compromising on quality or hygiene. By standardising their suppliers, care homes can order systematically, eliminate overbuying and unnecessary waste, and ensure that storage space is used effectively.
Using more sustainable products and practices can also improve a care home’s reputation, attracting residents and families who value environmentally responsible practices.
4. Streamlining Inventory Management
When purchasing from various suppliers, it is common to have either overstocking or understocking of critical products, which results in operational inefficiencies. Standardisation of procurement enables care homes to maintain a defined inventory, minimising the potential of any shortfalls in key items, such as general housekeeping items, for example, washroom cleaner or laundry detergent.
Group managers can monitor what’s being used, avoid stockpiling, and reduce emergency reordering.
5. Improving Staff Efficiency and Training
When the same items are used across all homes, it helps care teams become familiar with them. Whether it’s how a mobility aid works or what product to use for laundry, familiarity leads to better outcomes for residents and makes onboarding new staff easier.
6. Improved Supplier Relationship Management
Building strong relationships with your chosen suppliers means more than just getting the right products. It allows care homes to work with partners who understand the sector and can offer ongoing support, from help choosing the right solutions to advice on cost-saving alternatives.
In addition, preferred suppliers can provide other value-added services such as cost reporting, budgetary support, and flexible payment terms, all of which contribute to cost savings and operational efficiency.
Adopting a standardised purchasing approach is a strategic move towards reducing costs, improving compliance, and promoting sustainability. Consolidating suppliers, driving quality consistency, and optimising inventory management help care homes to achieve more efficiency without compromising on the quality of care.
Standardised purchasing made simple—Acticare supports care homes by supplying trusted nursing, cleaning, and laundry consumables that meet the demands of everyday care. We help make purchasing your day-to-day supplies easier so you can focus on what matters most, delivering outstanding care.