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Department of Health announce £19m social enterprise investment

The Department of Health has announced £19m of investment for social enterprises, over the next year.

On top of the £100m already invested over the last five years, the money will be used to support frontline staff to run services.

Andrew Lansley, Secretary of State for Health, said: “The NHS is full of people with new ideas about giving patients the care they need.

“Social enterprises are able to harness these innovations and provide services that will greatly help patients.

“We have already seen 6,000 Social Enterprises within the NHS offering staff more freedom and giving patients more tailored health care.

“The extra funding announced today will help roll out more of these services across the health service and shift power and control to frontline workers.”

The department is keen to highlight the value in turning many health services into social enterprises.

Healthcare, a multi-agency one stop shop for homeless people in Leicester, has reported better motivated staff who feel an ownership of the business.

Patient experience is enhanced through being able to offer a more flexible service, such as visiting agencies who provide classes in numeracy and literacy skills for working life, plus computer training, art and home economics sessions.

Public sector staff who are interested in forming a Social Enterprise or a mutual can work with the cross government team to see if their idea for a service can get support to set up their business.

A £10m ‘Mutuals Support Programme’ has been put in place by the Cabinet Office to help develop the next wave of public sector worker run services.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Tom Keighley .