The Hidden Cost of Admin in Care: How Smarter Spend Management Frees Time for What Matters 

In care, every moment matters. And every minute spent on admin is time lost to what really matters – supporting individuals. 

Yet too often, care teams are held back by the burden of admin. Whether it is logging petty cash transactions, chasing down receipts, or waiting on card approvals, the financial process often creates more friction than freedom. 

This is where we need a shift. 

The Hidden Cost of Admin 

Many organisations still manage spending the old-fashioned way: with cash in envelopes, shared credit cards and a patchwork of spreadsheets. These systems might work in theory, but they rarely do in practice. 

Staff are left making out-of-pocket purchases, hoping they will be reimbursed. Receipts are misplaced. Budgets are overspent or underused because no one has full visibility. 

It is not just frustrating. It is costly. 

Our research shows that employees often spend hours each month logging expenses, and finance teams spend even longer chasing them (Source: Soldo’s Core Finance Research Report, August 2024) One care provider, Making Space, told us they were spending a full day each week just handling cash withdrawals. 

That is time that could be spent delivering care. 

Trust Exists. But Access Does Not. 

Here is the contradiction. Most senior leaders say they trust their teams to spend responsibly – 86%, in fact. And employees feel that trust too, with 93% saying the same.  

However, when business leaders were asked if they had missed a growth opportunity because someone did not have the right budget at the right time, 76% said yes. 

The issue is not trust. It is access. 

Too often, funds are tied up in the wrong place. Cards are issued too slowly. Approvals take too long. And in care, where needs can change quickly, that delay can mean the difference between a smooth process and a missed opportunity. 

A Smarter Way to Manage Spend 

We need to manage spend in a way that fits how care teams actually work – responsive, mobile and human. 

That means giving frontline staff the ability to spend within agreed limits. It means providing finance teams with real-time visibility and control. And it means removing the paper trail of receipts and spreadsheets that slows everyone down. 

With Soldo, care providers can issue virtual or physical cards linked to budgets and policies. Top-ups happen instantly. Spend is tracked in real time. And every transaction is logged, with receipts captured through the app. 

No more chasing. No more guesswork. Just clear, controlled spending. 

Real Results, Real Impact 

Care providers across the UK and Ireland are already seeing the difference when financial processes start working with them, not against them. 

Making Space, a charity delivering adult social care, reduced its cash handling time by nearly 90% after switching to Soldo. What used to take three full days each month – a day to process transactions and two more to reconcile credit card statements – now takes just half a day. That time is now back where it belongs: with the people who need it. 

Drive Wales, which supports individuals with learning disabilities, gained real-time visibility across every transaction. 

“We can now see what’s being spent, by whom, where, and when. There’s no more need to wait until month end to access this information. That’s a big change – and a massive help.” 
– David Thomas, Director at Drive Wales 

Stewarts Care, an Irish charity working with people with disabilities, cut its use of cash by 98%. Carers now have direct access to funds via prepaid cards, with less manual oversight and fewer admin bottlenecks. 

These outcomes are not exceptions. Across the care community, Soldo is helping organisations: 

• Slash reconciliation times by up to six days per month
• Eliminate the risks and delays of petty cash 
• Empower frontline teams with safe, real-time access to funds 

And ultimately, give people in care the support they need, faster.  

The Bottom Line 

Managing care is already complex. Managing spend should not be. 

When finance runs smoothly, your team can focus entirely on what matters: delivering exceptional care. It is time we gave care teams the tools they need to spend with confidence, without compromise. uild the muscle for change, step by step.