DoH aims to creats 'largest social enterprise sector in the world'
The Department of Health's white paper, 'Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS', was launched this month and outlined plans to 'create the largest social enterprise sector in the world', making the NHS an integral part of the Big Society.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley announced plans to devolve power from Whitehall, giving patients and professionals a greater say in healthcare, working under the ethos of 'no decision about me without me'.
The paper outlines plans to give NHS staff more control in the direction of their organisations, incuding employee-led social enterprises, and states that in order to reflect individual patient need in decision-making as much as possible, responsibility will be devolved to local consortia of GP's.
Whilst commissioning under local GP's may mark an opportunity for social enterprises to deliver services, concerns exist in the sector that large providers may monopolise the market and that the paper seems to blur the differences between employee-led social enterprise NHS Trusts and actual social enterprises.
Visit the Department of Health website to download Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS.