How we produce evidence-led market intelligence
A transparent explanation of the research methods, data sources and analytical frameworks behind every insight Odelia Group publishes.
Market Position Statement analysis
Market Position Statements are the foundation of Odelia Group's research programme. We have systematically reviewed over 30 MPS documents from local authorities across England — making us one of the most experienced independent analysts of this critical commissioning data.
What is a Market Position Statement?How we collect MPS documents
We monitor all 153 English local authorities with adult social care responsibilities. When a new MPS is published — typically every two to three years per authority — we collect it, catalogue it against our standard taxonomy and add it to the review queue. We collect MPS documents directly from council websites, ensuring we always work from the authoritative published version.
How we analyse them
Each MPS is reviewed against a structured framework covering commissioning priorities, provider market composition, CQC ratings distribution, workforce data, demographic projections, preventative service strategies, key decision-makers and published recommendations. This standardised approach means every authority is evaluated on the same criteria, enabling rigorous cross-authority comparison.
What the findings reveal
Cross-authority analysis reveals patterns that are invisible at the individual council level. Across the 30+ MPS documents we have reviewed, common themes emerge: workforce sustainability is the most frequently cited challenge; coastal and rural areas consistently show the largest domiciliary care gaps; and most authorities identify a disconnect between the providers registered in their area and those actively delivering commissioned services. These patterns inform everything Odelia Group does — from research publications to provider development pathways.
Direct engagement with 20+ CQC-registered providers
Desk research can only take you so far. To understand what is really happening in provider markets, you need to speak directly to the people delivering care. Odelia Group has conducted structured engagement with over 20 CQC-registered domiciliary care, supported living and residential care providers.
Who we speak to
Our engagement spans registered managers, directors and owners of CQC-registered organisations. Providers range from small independent operators with a single location to established providers operating across multiple local authority areas. Service types include domiciliary care, supported living, residential care and complex care. This diversity ensures our understanding reflects the full spectrum of the independent provider sector.
What we ask
Structured engagement covers five areas: current commissioning relationships (which frameworks, which authorities), barriers to accessing new contracts, workforce challenges and retention strategies, experience of the procurement process, and what support would make the biggest difference to their commissioning readiness. This structured approach means we can compare experiences across providers, regions and service types.
How findings are used
Provider engagement findings directly inform three areas of our work. They validate — or challenge — the patterns we identify in MPS analysis. They ground the PDA for Social Care pathway in real provider experience, not theoretical assumptions. And they provide the evidence base for our research publications, ensuring that every insight we publish has been tested against operational reality.
How we compare across authorities
The real value of reviewing 30+ Market Position Statements is not the volume — it is the ability to compare. Odelia Group's cross-authority analysis identifies patterns that individual councils cannot see when they look only at their own data.
Standardised coding framework
Every MPS is coded against the same framework — the eight dimensions used in our council-level reports. This means workforce data from Kent can be meaningfully compared with workforce data from Medway, even though the two councils present their data differently. Standardisation eliminates the "different format" problem that makes ad-hoc comparison unreliable.
Pattern identification, not aggregation
We do not simply count how many authorities report a given issue — that would miss the point. We look for recurring structural patterns: the same challenge appearing across different authority types, regions and market sizes. When workforce sustainability emerges as the top concern in county councils, unitary authorities and metropolitan boroughs alike, that tells us something about the national market, not just individual authorities.
Evidence of the visibility gap
Across the authorities we have reviewed, a consistent pattern emerges: CQC data shows registered providers operating within the authority, yet commissioners report difficulty sourcing suitable provision. This disconnect — providers exist but are not visible or not assessed — is the "visibility gap" that Odelia Group's work addresses. It is not a hypothesis; it is a finding grounded in systematic comparison of MPS data against CQC registration records.
The standard eight-section report
Every Odelia Group local authority intelligence report follows the same structure. This standardisation means readers can compare across authorities — and commissioners can see their authority through the same lens we apply everywhere else.
Executive Summary
Strategic overview of the authority, its adult social care market and the key themes that emerge from the analysis.
Adult Social Care Overview
Population data, budget figures, provider count and market composition — establishing the baseline from which commissioning decisions are made.
Commissioning Priorities
What the authority says it needs — extracted directly from the MPS and commissioning strategies, organised for provider actionability.
Provider Market Intelligence
CQC ratings distribution, provider churn rates, market concentration analysis and identification of gaps between registered and commissioned provision.
Preventative Services
How the authority approaches prevention, reablement and community-based support — and where providers can contribute.
Provider Opportunities
Service categories, geographical areas and care types where the authority has signalled unmet need or market gaps.
Key Decision Makers
The people and teams who shape commissioning — from Directors of Adult Social Services to Market Development leads.
Recommendations
Actionable recommendations for providers seeking to engage with the authority — grounded in the authority's own published priorities.
Interested in the evidence?
Explore our council-level research, provider development pathways and commissioning readiness resources.