Cash and working capital
Short-term visibility, payroll and tax commitments, debtor timing, funding headroom and forecast discipline.
A practical starting point
A financial health review for your healthcare business
A focused assessment of the information, controls and commercial pressures behind the numbers, ending with clear priorities rather than a generic report.
The business issue
Find the issues that deserve management attention first.
A business may be profitable on paper but still struggle with cash, late reporting, weak debt collection, unclear margins or finance processes that depend on one person. A financial health review brings those issues into one connected picture.
Carrick reviews the agreed areas using the information available, speaks with the people involved and identifies where the data, process or control needs strengthening. The review can stand alone or become the starting point for a defined improvement project or fractional FD engagement.
The scope is proportionate. It is not a statutory audit, formal valuation, tax investigation or insolvency opinion.
What the work can include
Areas the review can assess
The exact work is agreed around the organisation, the available information and the decision or control that needs improving.
Management reporting
Timeliness, accuracy, reconciliations, explanations, KPIs and whether reports support real decisions.
Margins and pricing
Service, contract, package or location economics and the quality of the underlying activity and staffing data.
Revenue and debtors
Invoicing completeness, unbilled work, rejected invoices, credit control and disputed balances.
Payroll and compliance
Input controls, reconciliations, NMW risk indicators, deductions and exception follow-up.
People, systems and controls
Responsibilities, handovers, approvals, key-person dependency, software and documented procedures.
When this support may fit
Signs that a review may help
- Cash feels tighter than the reported profit suggests.
- Management accounts arrive late or prompt more questions than answers.
- Turnover is growing but margins are unclear.
- Invoices, debtors or payroll exceptions remain unresolved.
- The finance team is busy but priorities are not visible.
- A lender, investor, buyer or board needs a clearer position.
A useful result
What you receive
- A concise summary of the current position.
- Evidence-based priority issues.
- Immediate actions and longer-term improvements.
- Named owners and sensible sequencing.
- Data gaps and assumptions made clear.
- Options for a project or ongoing support where useful.
How the work progresses
A clear route from question to action.
The scope, responsibilities, evidence, timetable and fees are agreed before the engagement begins.
- 01
Agree the questions
Set the scope, information list, people to speak with and the decisions the review should support.
- 02
Review and test
Analyse the records, sample the processes and discuss how the finance operation works in practice.
- 03
Prioritise action
Present the findings, agree the order of work and define any follow-on support.
Frequently asked questions
What owners and management teams usually ask.
These answers are general. The appropriate approach depends on the organisation and the agreed remit.
Is the financial health review an audit?
No. It is a management and commercial review, not a statutory audit or assurance opinion.
How much information is needed?
The information list is tailored to the scope. It may include management accounts, cash forecasts, aged debt, payroll summaries, budgets, key contracts and process documents.
Can the review cover one specific problem?
Yes. It can focus on cash flow, reporting, margins, credit control, payroll controls or another defined issue.
What happens after the review?
You can implement the priorities internally, commission a defined project or agree ongoing fractional FD or outsourced finance support.
Related support
Connect this work to the wider financial position.
Healthcare finance issues rarely sit in isolation. These related services may be relevant to the same decision or risk.
Start with the situation, not a service label.
Tell us what is happening and what a useful outcome would look like. We will help define the right starting point.