How to Choose the Right Complex Care Provider: A Partnership-Led Perspective

Finding the right complex care provider is rarely straightforward. For case managers, solicitors and families alike, the decision often comes at a point of pressure, for example when needs are increasing, risks are becoming clearer and the consequences of getting it wrong feel very real.

At Thriving, we are often brought into conversations at that moment. Not because we position ourselves as the “best” option, but because our background allows us to view complex care slightly differently - through the lens of long-term partnership, operational realism and outcomes that must work not just on paper, but day to day.

What follows is a practical guide shaped by years of experience working alongside those who commission and fund complex care.

Complex Care Is About More Than Clinical Need

Complex care is often defined by diagnoses, risk factors or funding arrangements. In practice, what determines success is far more operational.

The most common challenges we see are not a lack of intent or funding, but:

• inconsistent staffing and poor continuity

• fragmented responsibility between multiple parties

• slow decision-making when situations change

• escalating costs without corresponding improvements in quality
  

These issues rarely appear at the start of a package. They tend to develop over time, particularly where care models are rigid or where providers struggle to adapt as needs evolve.

For case managers, this creates a familiar tension: balancing outcomes for the service user with accountability, cost scrutiny and governance expectations.

Why Thriving Exists: A Provider Built From Partnership

Thriving was not created in isolation.

Our roots sit within Priority Recruitment, a business established over 12 years ago, with the last five focused specifically on healthcare. During that time, Priority became known for stepping into difficult situations (often at short notice) and prioritising relationships and problem-solving over short-term commercial gain.

As our healthcare work developed, a clear pattern emerged. Case managers and solicitors increasingly asked us to do more than provide staff. We were already:

• stabilising packages others struggled to maintain

• resolving continuity issues within care teams

• advising on practical delivery challenges

• supporting decision-making beyond pure recruitment
  

In many cases, clients were explicit. They needed a CQC-registered partner, but they wanted the way we worked; pragmatic, responsive and grounded in real delivery.

Thriving was the natural next step.

By the time we registered, we were already doing much of the work. CQC registration allowed us to round out the model, formalise governance and offer a greater depth of support with the appropriate regulatory framework in place.

What CQC Registration Changes in Practice

Regulation matters, but not because it looks good on a website.

For us, CQC registration brought practical, day-to-day advantages:

• clearer governance and accountability

• greater control over care delivery

• faster escalation and decision-making

• less waiting for answers, more action

• better outcomes for service users
  

It also provides reassurance for those commissioning care. Not just that standards are met, but that there is a regulated structure supporting supervision, oversight and long-term planning.

This becomes particularly important in complex, long-running packages where needs evolve gradually and decisions must be made quickly and proportionately.

Cost, Quality and the Reality in Between

Cost is an unavoidable consideration in complex care. What often causes difficulty is not the headline rate, but poor alignment between cost and outcome.

We regularly hear concerns around:

• excessive charges without clear justification

• inflexible or opaque invoicing

• staffing changes that are poorly communicated

• rising costs driven by instability rather than need
  

Thriving was built with commercial realism in mind. Our background as a labour provider means we understand staffing economics, funding pressures and the need for sensible, defensible cost structures.

Our aim is not to be the cheapest provider. It is to deliver value through stability. Consistent teams, proactive planning and clear communication reduce disruption and disruption can often be the most expensive part of care, or at least the most unplanned for expense.

A Typical Scenario We See

A service user’s needs increase following a deterioration or change in circumstances. Initially, the existing care model copes. Over time, cracks begin to show.

Staff turnover increases. Communication slows. Decisions take longer. Costs rise, but outcomes plateau.

The case manager is left managing risk rather than planning care.

In these situations, our focus is not on replacing everything that exists, but on stabilising it:

• establishing consistent staffing

• introducing regular supervision and oversight

• improving escalation pathways

• aligning the care plan with realistic delivery

• restoring confidence for all parties
  

Often, the shift from reactive problem-solving to proactive partnership makes the greatest difference.

Green Flags When Choosing a Complex Care Provider

Every package is different, but certain indicators consistently point towards a provider likely to work well over the long term:

• Staff continuity: How does the provider actively reduce churn?

• Transparency: Are invoices clear, consistent and easy to interrogate?

• Flexibility: Can the model adapt as needs change without constant renegotiation?

• Relevant experience: Has the provider managed similar cases successfully?

• Funding familiarity: Do they understand how your funding body operates?

• Reputation: Do reviews and references reflect real-world delivery rather than marketing claims?
  

No single factor guarantees success. Taken together, they provide a strong foundation.

A Different Kind of Provider Relationship

Thriving works best when viewed not as a supplier, but as a long-term partner.

Our role is to support care delivery in a way that is:

• clinically appropriate

• operationally sound

• commercially sensible

• and focused on the individual receiving care
  

For case managers, that means having a provider you can speak to openly, challenge constructively and rely on as situations evolve, without every issue becoming urgent or adversarial.

Final Thoughts

Choosing a complex care provider is rarely about a single decision. It is about confidence - confidence that the provider understands the realities of care delivery, respects the pressures faced by commissioners and is committed to outcomes that last.

Thriving exists because that is how our clients needed us to work.

Complex Care partnerships can be... complex.