Social enterprise summit
Event highlights
Our social enterprise summit was the first in a series of three considering reforms to local health systems and changes in power and alignments between local authorities, the third sector and the NHS.
More about the social enterprise summit
In November the government launched the roll out of 'Rights to Provide' across public services. Employers are now expected to accept suitable proposals from front line staff who want to 'spin out' and run their services as mutual organisations.
The Right to Provide sets out to challenge traditional public sector structures, often risk-adverse and bound by bureaucracy, and unleash the potential for new ideas and innovation. Evidence shows that employees and communities who own or have a stake in their organisations are more productive and by their nature more responsive and accountable. More recently a taskforce has been established to drive this reform at the centre of government.
However, the appetite amongst NHS staff for employee ownership is still unproven as concerns and uncertainties remain around pensions, the transfer of employment terms and conditions, vulnerability to take-over, and what happens when social enterprises fail.
Programme
Programme
Session one: Policy overview
Welcome and introduction
Dr Anna Dixon, Director of Policy, The King's Fund
Keynote address: policy overview (Taskforce update)
Julian Le Grand, Richard Titmuss Professor of Social Policy, London School of Economics and Political Science, Trustee, The King's Fund, and Head of Mutuals Taskforce at the Cabinet Office
What are the challenges and opportunities for social enterprise?
Rachael Addicott, Senior Fellow, Policy, The King's Fund
Questions and discussion
Session two: Core challenges
Welcome back
Patrick Burns, Executive Director, Employee Ownership Association
Can social enterprise be the bridge between cooperation and competition in the NHS?
Mo Girach, Special Advisor to the NHS Alliance (Social Enterprise, Mutuals, Co-operatives), Associate Consultant, The King's Fund, and Health Advisor to the New Economic Foundation
Can staff be protected and what are the legal implications of failure for employees?
Peter Edwards, Senior Partner, Capsticks LLP
How can social enterprises compete with the private sector?
Lord Victor Adebowale CBE, Chief Executive, Turning Point
Questions and discussion
Session three: Good governance
Welcome back
Allison Ogden-Newton, Chief Executive, Social Enterprise London
Inspiring clinician-led better value: bringing decision-making and service-design to the front line
Annie Francis, Midwife and Board Member, Independent Midwives UK
Nuturing new 'spin out' health care providers for success
Peter Stocks, Managing Director, Baxi Partnership
Jayne Mottershead, Founding Director of Operations, Spiral Health Community Interest Company
Questions and discussion
Session four: Expert panel
This interactive session was an opportunity for delegates to raise concerns, ask for advice and share experiences.
Chaired by Dr Anna Dixon, Director of Policy, The King's Fund
Experts included:
- Nigel Edwards, Acting Chief Executive, NHS Confederation
- Peter Holbrook, Chief Executive, Social Enterprise Coalition
- Ali Parsa, Managing Partner, Circle Partnership
- Bob Ricketts, Director of Provider Policy, Department of Health
Summary and closing comments
Rachael Addicott, Senior Fellow, Policy, The King's Fund