As the Government strives to introduce contestability, choice and personalisation into health and social care services, there is increasing interest in the role that social enterprises can play in the delivery of public services. The Government is committed to promoting greater use of social enterprises in these services. As Primary Care Trusts begin the journey towards ‘world class commissioning’ of services, there is a real opportunity for specialist providers, focused on outcomes and enjoying high levels of engagement with the clients they serve, to shine. The Social Enterprise Investment Fund was established by the Department of Health in 2006 to promote the emergence of new social enterprise providers and is actively supporting pathfinder projects across a range of sectors.
This publication aims to explore current attitudes to the role of social enterprise in health and social care. We examine the market trends and issues that providers and commissioners are facing on the ground. The House of Commons Public Administration Committee recently found that the ability of third sector organisations to transform public services was not proven. To what extent do active market participants agree with this finding? We set out to explore this and other issues.
Our thanks go to all those providers and commissioners who took the time to participate in our survey. As always, we welcome your views and feedback on the findings.
