DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
News Release issued by COI News Distribution Service on 11 June 2009
Social enterprises
which improve the quality of health and social care for local
communities can now apply for loans and grants from the Department
of Health's Social Enterprise Investment Fund, Care Services
Minister Phil Hope announced today.
The Fund has helped 200 social enterprises by investing over £20
million since it was first launched in 2007. There is more than
£70 million available for start-up and existing social enterprises
over the next three years.
Existing projects which have received funding include:
*
£243,500 in March 2009 for St Luke's Healthy Living Centre in
Southend on Sea, Essex, which provides a range of services
including counselling, and fitness activities for the local
community;
* £10,000 in April 2008 for the Healthy Hearts
mobile screening programme set up by staff at Sandwell and West
Birmingham NHS Trust which aims to reduce health inequalities in
the region;
* £50,000 in March 2008 for Cafe Inc set up by the
Aspects and Milestones Trust which provides peer support and
vocational training for people with learning disabilities and
mental health problems;
* £54,000 in March 2008 for Sit n B
Fit in Sunderland, North East England which offers manageable
fitness routines to help people keep or regain their mobility.
Social enterprises can apply for a range of financial help
including loans, grants and equity-like investment products, along
with tailored business support services that can be provided by
the fund.
Phil Hope, Minister for Care Services said:
"Social
enterprises have the power to connect and engage with communities
and offer innovative ways to improve the quality of care for people.
"The Social Enterprise Investment Fund provides not only
loans and grants, but also valuable business support. This backing
will help new social enterprises, as well as those that are
already up and running, play a significant role in transforming
health and social care services and improving the health and
well-being of local communities."
New and existing organisations can apply for investments by
visiting http://www.dh.gov.uk/seif or
calling 0191 269 2276. The funding application process takes
approximately six weeks.
The fund is being delivered by Futurebuilders England and
Partnerships UK. The two organisations will work closely with the
Department of Health's Social Enterprise Unit to support and
assess applications to the fund.
Jonathan Lewis, chief executive of Futurebuilders England
said:
"Social enterprises are increasingly delivering
valuable public services.
"This fund can really help organisations working to deliver
innovative health or social care services locally, with access to
grants and loans.
We are also offering additional support to
help them succeed through better management and use of funding."
James Stewart, chief executive of Partnerships UK said:
"Social enterprises already make a huge contribution to the
delivery of public services. This contribution is only going to
increase in the future.
"Partnerships UK is delighted to be working alongside the
Department of Health and Futurebuilders England to help social
enterprises realise their full potential in delivering health and
social care services".
Ends
Notes to editors
1. For more information about
Futurebuilders England, please contact Shaheena Sachedina or Peter
Gilheany on 020 7403 2230 or at shaheena@forster.co.uk/ peter@forster.co.uk
2. For more information about Partnerships UK, please contact
Elaine France on 020 7273 8056 or at elaine.france@partnershipsuk.org.uk
3. Following the 2007 Comprehensive Spending Review, the
Department of Health committed £100m of funding for the Social
Enterprise Investment Fund until March 2011.
4. The Social Enterprise Investment Fund is managed on behalf of
the Department of Health by Futurebuilders England Ltd, working in
partnership with Partnerships UK.
5. The Fund is open to applications from new and existing social
enterprises in England:
* Existing social enterprises looking
to expand into health and social care
* New social enterprises
that want to provide services in health and social care
*
Groups of health and/or social care professionals (eg nurses,
therapists), seeking to form a social enterprise to deliver their services.
6. The Fund will offer a range of financial solutions including
loans, grants and innovative equity investment products, alongside
tailored business support services.
7. Futurebuilders England is the largest social investor in the
UK. Its aim is to substantially improve the financial and
strategic capability of the Third Sector so that it can play an
ever greater role in improving the lives of the people and
communities it serves. For more information visit http://www.futurebuilders-england.org.uk
8. Partnerships UK (PUK) has a unique public sector mission: to
support and accelerate the delivery of infrastructure renewal,
high quality public services and the efficient use of public
assets through better and stronger partnerships between the public
, third and private sectors
9. PUK is working with around 20 Primary Care Trusts to provide
assistance in separating provider and commissioner functions and
support the implementation of new enterprise forms including
social enterprise. For more information visit http://www.pukpublicservices.org.uk
10. Social enterprises are businesses with primarily social
objectives whose surpluses are principally reinvested in the
business or community, rather than being driven by the need to
maximise profit for shareholders and owners. There are a number of
different forms of social enterprise such as community interest
companies (CIC), charities, community benefit societies and co-operatives.