Cash and working capital
Rolling cash-flow forecasts, payroll and tax commitments, debtor visibility and early warning of pressure points.
Our core service
Fractional FD and CFO support for healthcare providers
Senior financial leadership for health and social care organisations that need more than year-end accounts, but do not need a full-time finance director.
The business issue
Financial direction without a full-time appointment.
A growing healthcare business needs someone who can connect cash, margins, payroll, reporting and operational decisions. Carrick works with owners, boards and management teams as a fractional finance director or CFO, bringing senior judgement into the business for an agreed amount of time.
The role is practical as well as strategic. It can include leading the finance timetable, improving management information, challenging assumptions, preparing forecasts and making sure important actions are followed through. Carrick can work alongside an existing accountant, bookkeeper, payroll provider or internal finance team.
Fractional FD, part-time finance director, virtual FD and outsourced CFO are often used for similar arrangements. The title matters less than the remit: what decisions need support, what information must improve and who is accountable for delivery.
What the work can include
What fractional financial leadership can cover
The exact work is agreed around the organisation, the available information and the decision or control that needs improving.
Management reporting
Board packs, budgets, reforecasts and performance measures that explain what is happening and what needs attention.
Service and contract margins
Package, branch, location or contract-level analysis that links income to staffing and delivery costs.
Finance-team leadership
Clear priorities, month-end timetables, reconciliations, controls and support for the people producing the numbers.
Commercial decisions
Financial input for pricing, tenders, new services, systems, premises, funding, acquisitions and sale preparation.
External relationships
Structured information for owners, auditors, lenders, funders, commissioners and other professional advisers.
When this support may fit
When a fractional FD or CFO is useful
- The organisation has grown faster than its finance processes and reporting.
- Cash, payroll, debtors or margins are taking too much management time.
- The accounts team needs senior direction, challenge and accountability.
- The board needs forecasts and explanations, not only historic figures.
- A new contract, acquisition, funding discussion or sale is approaching.
- A full-time FD is not justified, but senior financial leadership is.
A useful result
What the engagement should leave behind
- A clear reporting and meeting rhythm.
- Greater visibility of cash and commitments.
- Better understanding of profitability and risk.
- Named owners for finance actions and controls.
- Financial information that supports decisions.
- A remit that can grow or reduce as the business changes.
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
Understand the business
Start with the organisation, its services, systems, people and the decisions that are currently difficult.
- 02
Set the remit
Agree the time commitment, meetings, reports, responsibilities, availability, fees and priorities.
- 03
Lead and improve
Run the agreed finance rhythm, support decisions and improve the underlying information and controls.
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.
What is a fractional finance director?
A fractional finance director provides senior financial leadership for part of their working time rather than joining as a full-time employee. The scope can include reporting, cash flow, budgets, commercial analysis, finance-team leadership and board support.
Is a fractional CFO different from a fractional FD?
The terms overlap. Some businesses use CFO for a more strategic, funding or transaction-focused role and FD for broader financial management. Carrick agrees the actual remit rather than relying on the title.
Can Carrick work with our existing accountant?
Yes. A statutory accountant or tax adviser may continue to handle year-end accounts and specialist tax work while Carrick leads management reporting, forecasting, controls and commercial finance.
How much time does a fractional FD provide?
It depends on the organisation and the priorities. The arrangement can range from regular monthly board and forecasting support to more involved weekly leadership. Time, availability and deliverables are agreed before work starts.
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.