Government offers care professionals start-up costs for social enterprises

Social care professionals seeking to form a social enterprise to deliver services can apply for start-up costs and other support from the Department of Health.

The DH’s social enterprise unit is looking for 10 to 15 pathfinders to test its ambition for social enterprises to deliver a greater proportion of health and social care services.

In particular, it wants applications from professionals or multi-agency partnerships seeking to set up enterprises, or existing enterprises looking to branch into social or health care.

In this year’s health and social care white paper the DH promised greater support for social enterprise provision of health and social care, including setting up the unit and providing start-up funding.

However, at a recent meeting with social enterprise leaders, health secretary Patricia Hewitt was told the DH’s support was not being matched on the ground.