Care Services Payment Practices Report 2020
UK Care Services Pay Suppliers Significantly Faster Than Average, But Wide Disparities Persist
The Numbers
- 141 UK Care Services companies analysed.
- Average PaymentCheck Score: 71.3/100.
- UK average PaymentCheck Score: 50.0/100.
- Care Services average is 21.3 points above the UK average.
- Top score: 99.03/100 (THE ACTIVE LEARNING TRUST LIMITED).
- Lowest score: 31.4/100 (ST ANDREW'S HEALTHCARE).
- Regional high average: Wales, 88.7 (1 company).
- Regional low average: North West, 75.2 (11 companies).
What Stands Out
While the Care Services sector collectively demonstrates stronger payment performance than the UK average, there's a vast gulf between the best and worst payers. That almost 70-point spread – from THE ACTIVE LEARNING TRUST LIMITED at the top, to ST ANDREW'S HEALTHCARE at the bottom – suggests systemic issues, rather than isolated incidents, are driving the poor payment practices of some organisations.
Best Payers
- THE ACTIVE LEARNING TRUST LIMITED - 99.03/100
- TOGETHER FOR CHILDREN SUNDERLAND LIMITED - 98.1/100
- AMBIENT SUPPORT LIMITED - 98.07/100
- THE GURKHA WELFARE TRUST - 97.6/100
- SUNDERLAND CARE AND SUPPORT LIMITED - 97.4/100
Worst Payers
- ST ANDREW'S HEALTHCARE - 31.4/100
- ALTERNATIVE FUTURES GROUP LIMITED - 32.9/100
- MEARS GROUP PLC - 33.1/100
- CALEA UK LIMITED - 34.1/100
- TJX UK - 34.87/100
Regional Patterns
Regional data is patchy, and with some regions only represented by one or two companies, the averages aren't especially informative. The North East performs well, averaging 87.6 across three companies. The North West, with a much larger sample of 11 companies, comes in lowest at 75.2, but it’s still above the national average, so that's not too alarming.
One line takeaway: Despite a sector average PaymentCheck score of 71.3, significantly exceeding the UK average of 50, the lowest-performing company, ST ANDREW'S HEALTHCARE, scored just 31.4, revealing considerable inconsistency in payment practices across UK Care Services.
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