'Brilliant’ social enterprise is future of NHS, says Maude

The future NHS will be delivered through a huge variety of social enterprises – including some partnering with large service companies like Serco, says Cabinet Office minister Francis Maude.

Maude, an influential government figure in driving public sector reform, made the comments on Wednesday while touring well-known social enterprise Central Surrey Health.

He said: ‘This is the future, in five, ten, 15 years’ time what we think of as the NHS will be delivered by a multitude of independent organisations like Central Surrey Health with lots of different forms, doing things differently, finding ways to make money go further and improving quality.’

Maude said he was ‘very impressed’ by the ‘brilliant’ organisation and was particularly interested in how the engagement of staff, who constantly suggest improvements, could be replicated without necessarily going down the co-owned route.

Maude told Social Enterprise that the government was looking at all sorts of models.

‘One possibility I think is very attractive is the mutual and co-owned model being in a joint venture partnership with a financial investor or a provider of outsourced services,' he said.

Maude pointed to the partnership between Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital in London and Serco.

He also said the state might wish to retain a financial equity stake, especially if the organisation was being set up with a view to make and distribute profits.

Central Surrey Health, which does not distribute profits, is part of the government’s pathfinder programme which will see successful social enterprises mentor others trying to follow in their footsteps.

Chair of Central Surrey Health Ian Church said the organisation was happy to give advice and already received enquiries every day.

Church said transferring NHS pensions was still a key stumbling block for many organisations looking to spin out from the NHS and Central Surrey Health would have struggled if it had not been able to win a contract that retained the NHS pension for all staff, not just those who joined at the time of transfer.

He also argued that co-ownership was a unique way to ensure staff engagement.

District nurse Matt Peasey said that staff felt their voice would always be listened to.

‘There’s still the same pressures of too many patients and not enough time but we manage that pressure better than any other organisation I’ve been involved in,’ said Peasey.