By Vivienne Russell
16 November 2010
NHS services worth an estimated £900m and employing a total of 25,000 staff are to be transferred to the social enterprise sector.
Health Secretary Andrew Lansley today announced that 32 health service projects had had their bids to become social enterprises approved.
NHS workers wanting to take over the running of the services they provide have been able to submit a bid to the Department of Health through the ‘Right to Request’ scheme.
A total of 61 ‘Right to Request’ proposals have been put forward since 2008.
Lansley said he was encouraged by the response so far. ‘We want to empower millions of public sector workers to become their own boss and help them to deliver better services,’ he said.
‘This is about a fundamental power shift, taking power from Whitehall and placing it in the hands of frontline staff who know best the needs of their communities. This is what the Big Society is all about.’
Care services minister Paul Burstow added: ‘By becoming their own bosses, staff are free to exercise their clinical leadership and entrepreneurial skills.
‘And because social enterprises share the same public ethos as the NHS, all surplus is reinvested back into the communities they serve meaning the most efficient use of public funds.’
The 32 projects to be approved include: dentistry and podiatry services in Sheffield and Torbay; adult learning disability services on the Isle of Wight; and services for homeless people and asylum seekers in Bradford.
