Department of Health and Social Care
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Department of Health opens £73m investment fund for Social Enterprise programmes
Care Services Minister Ivan Lewis today announced the opening of a £73m Social enterprise Investment Fund for health and social care. Applications for the money can now start, to set up and build social enterprises that meet specific needs and provide services that will benefit local communities.
The Minister launched the fund, spread over four years, on a visit to social entrepreneurs from the North West region at the Kath Locke Centre in Hulme,
Minister Ivan Lewis said:
"I am pleased to be able to tell you that from today, our social enterprise investment fund is open for applications. We look forward to being able to give social enterprises the funding and support they need to help turn their innovative ideas into reality and make a real difference to the communities they serve.
"Social enterprise has a strong track record of revolutionising services in other sectors and has the potential to transform the way services are delivered in health and social care. The Social Enterprise Investment Fund demonstrates our real commitment to supporting social enterprise in health and social care."
Jonathan Bland, Chief Executive of the Social Enterprise Coalition said:
"We welcome the opening of the fund. It's vital that social enterprises get access to investment that is trying to do more than just build wealth for shareholders. This hard-to-come-by capital will help social enterprises in health and care continue to engage and empower both staff and patients in order to deliver improved services."
In total £1.4m was invested in social enterprise 'pathfinder' schemes in 2006/7. One of the key features of these schemes is that they reinvest surpluses into the community they serve or the services they provide. This means that in addition to improving services, they can also help with the wider regeneration of communities.
Notes for Editors:
1. The Social Enterprise Coalition is the UK's national body for social enterprise. http://www.socialenterprise.org.uk
2. The Kath Locke Centre - was the first NHS primary care facility in the country to be run by a non-NHS organisation. The Centre in Hulme, Manchester, is managed by Big Life Services, part of The Big Life Group of charities and social enterprises.
Combining the best in conventional NHS healthcare with a range of services provided by the third sector, the Centre encourages local people to both access services and help deliver them. Local people have a strong sense of ownership over the Centre, which provides local employment and volunteering opportunities.
Primary care services at the Centre include chiropody, audiology, physiotherapy and orthoptics. A full NHS dental practice operates on site and also offers an emergency drop in service.
Specialist services at the Kath Locke Centre include a welcome centre for refugees, a day service for black and minority ethnic people with severe learning difficulties and a self help group for older people with diabetes.
3. The Social Enterprise Investment Fund (SEIF) is intended to stimulate and encourage the development of a vibrant social enterprise sector in the delivery of health and social care services. It aims to provide start-up funding and longer term investment to emerging and existing social enterprises in the health and social care sector with a view to their sustainability. The Fund will offer loans, grants and equity capital (or a mixture of these). It will support organisations which are, or are aiming to become, social enterprises delivering one or more health and/or social care services. The closing date for the current round of proposals is 31st October 2007, the next call for proposals will be announced later this year. Application forms are available at http://www.dh.gov.uk/commissioning/socialenterprise
Social enterprises are dynamic businesses with social and environmental aims. Well known examples include The Big Issue, Cafe Direct and Jamie Oliver's Fifteen, but there are many other social enterprises operating in a wide range of sectors. Examples of social enterprises in the health and social care sector are available on request.
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