This snapshot taken on 06/05/2010, shows web content selected for preservation by The National Archives. External links, forms and search boxes may not work in archived websites.
A social enterprise is a business whose objectives are primarily social, and whose profits are reinvested back into its services or the community. With no financial commitments to shareholders or owners, social enterprises are free to use their surplus income to invest in their operations to make them as efficient and effective as possible.
Social enterprises come in many shapes and sizes, from small community-owned village shops to large organisations delivering public services; from individual social entrepreneurs to multi-million pound global organisations. Well known social enterprises include Turning Point, the Eden Project, the Big Issue, and Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen restaurant.
Social enterprises are distinctive from traditional charities or voluntary organisations in that they generate the majority, if not all, of their income through the trading of goods or services rather than through donations. This gives them a degree of self-reliance and independence which puts them firmly in control of their own activities.
Advantages for patients and service users, health and social care organisations and the third sector.
Right to Request is part of a broader vision for the NHS, which puts quality of care at the heart of everything we do.
An overview of the Right to Request process, including key documents and application guidance.
The first 20 staff-led NHS projects are on the way to becoming social enterprises. Find out how they are getting on.
The Social Enterprise Investment Fund (SEIF) provides investment to help new social enterprises start up and existing social enterprises grow and improve their services.
This programme followed 26 social enterprises over two years and examined what factors appear to be early indicators for success and outlined the challenges in delivering health and social care services. The programme evaluation produced a wide range of findings and learning points that should help those who are currently involved in setting up a social enterprise to deliver health and social care services.
The Innovation for Life Challenge Fund is an invitation to local health and social care commissioners and their partners to propose innovative ways of using social enterprise solutions to meet local health and well-being challenges and to tackle health inequalities.
Hear about what inspired those who have already begun the journey to become a social enterprise:
If you would like more information about Right to Request or social enterprises in health and social care, please get in touch by:
