Health-focused social enterprises receive funding boost

Health minister Ivan Lewis has announced a 27 million pound funding boost to social enterprises that deliver health and social care services.

The funding commitment increases the amount of money available through the Department of Health’s Social Enterprise Investment Fund to 100 million pounds.

Supporting the development of social enterprises in the health and social care sector, the fund has provided finance to women’s refuges, migraine clinics and exercise programmes for the elderly.

The government has stated its hope that the investment would provide start-up funding and longer-term investment to emerging and existing social enterprises in health and social care.

Mr Lewis confirmed that the investment was testimony to the government’s “confidence” in social enterprise as a solution to providing world class health and social care services.

“Increasingly, we are seeing social enterprises delivering the innovative and personalised services that people rightly expect,” he added.

The chief executive of the Social Enterprise Coalition Jonathan Bland welcomed the funding announcement, illustrating many examples of where social enterprises were engaging with communities to provide high-quality health services.

This week has also seen extra funding of 170 million pounds announced by the government to increase the amount of ‘talking therapies’ offered to patients with depression.