Dr Sarah-Anne Munoz Researcher Sarah-Anne joined SDRC in March 2007 after completing an ESRC-funded PhD that investigated residential segregation and community formation in the urban environment. She also holds an MA (Hons, 1st class) in Geography and an MSc (distinction) in Applied Population Geography. She has training in both statistical and qualitative methods and has used both in a research context. Sarah-Anne also has experience of developing and delivering course material to undergraduates. Since joining SDRC Sarah-Anne has developed her research interest into social enterprise through work on the BEST Procurement Programme. She is currently developing research interests in the spatiality of social enterprise and its relationship with the alleviation of deprivation. She is also interested in how social enterprises can contribute towards sustainable rural communities. Sarah-Anne also has experience of working with Environmental/ Sustainability Management systems and is currently involved in developing such systems for HIE and Perth College.

 

 

TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE PROVISION: THE ROLE OF SOCIAL ENTERPRISE AND COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS

Sarah-Anne Muñoz and Heather George

Sustainable Development Research Centre (SDRC), Horizon Scotland, The Enterprise Park, Forres, IV36 2AB

Tel: 01309 678111 Email: sarah-anne.munoz@sdrc.uhi.ac.uk

Social enterprises – organisations that trade in order to meet a social or environmental goal – have often been conceptualised as businesses that can contribute towards the goals of sustainable development (Timms, 2007). Such organisations, therefore, appear to offer the public sector the opportunity to buy more ‘sustainably’ by purchasing their goods and services.

There are currently many social enterprises operating within the UK health and social care sector (SEC, 2007) and the Department of Health last year provided a £73 million enterprise fund aimed at bringing more social enterprises into health and social care. The 2006 UK Government White Paper Our Health, Our Care, Our Say, set the foundation of government support for increasing levels of engagement of social enterprise in health and social care and stresses a relationship between the social enterprise business model and the provision of health care that is responsive to the needs of the general population and people-focused at its very core.

This paper draws on evidence from workshops held with social entrepreneurs and public sector procurement professionals conducted across the UK in 2007. Workshop participants were asked to debate the role of social enterprise in the health and social care sector. Conclusions from analysis of the workshop discussions are presented in this paper. This allows the paper to reflect on the opportunities but also the pitfalls of greater social enterprise involvement in the health and social care sector from the point of view of both social entrepreneurs and public sector procurement professionals.

The analysis of the workshop discussions highlights the progress that has been made in various parts of the UK towards a procurement relationship between the public sector and the social enterprise sector that is more mutually beneficial. However, it also permits reflection on the barriers and challenges that still remain for social enterprises that wish to sell to the public sector. This paper, therefore, highlights the key areas of support that are needed by both sides in order to create a more productive two-way relationship.

The paper will demonstrate that the social enterprise business model may be particularly suited to working within certain areas of health and social care provision, such as home care and religious/culturally-specific care, but may fall short of what is needed in other areas, particularly in terms of capacity and expertise.

The paper will draw on the workshop discussions to tease out the connections between social entrepreneurs’ and local government workers’ opinions and experiences and wider public policy issues such as the establishment of a Social Enterprise Unit within the Department of Health; recent debates surrounding the provision and cost of social care within the UK and the role of sustainable procurement within health and social care. This will allow the paper to offer conclusions on where the opportunities lie for social entrepreneurs and the public sector to create a successful procurement relationship.