Co-operative care
Ministers want to turn the NHS in England into "the largest social enterprise sector in the world". They envisage a network of small co-operatives and mutuals run by doctors and nurses not managers. But would that be a good thing? And is it even practical?
The exact form varies but in general, such organisations are run and owned by their members, control their own funding and direction, and have clear social rather than commercial objectives.
"There's nothing hugely different, culturally, which means the co-operative model couldn't work here, but big changes are needed to legislation and attitudes.
"At the moment we're in the rhetoric phase – there has to be a lot more work to actually build capacity and there's a vital role for government in taking the lead.
"People need help building up the skills, they need access to capital, tax breaks, and so on. Councils have to change their thinking too because if they just keep on procuring from the same big supplier, small co-operatives will never get a look in.
"In general, nothing is really joined up. It's the government's job to deal with this fragmentation and I don't think they're taking that seriously enough yet."
One of the biggest challenges faced by Italian co-operatives is recruiting senior managers with good business acumen and a social conscience – not least because co-operatives are often seen as offering insufficient status and salaries.
Chris Tully agrees that the right people are key, adding: "You have to really want to make a difference and you've got to have a lot of stamina."
While the devolution of power is one of the key tenets of the government's plans for the NHS, it's also one of the most controversial.
The government sees a future in which co-operatives deliver our babies or treat our addictions – some funded by, but independent from, local authorities, others funded by those who use them.
Geoff Walker wants the government to be "bolder" still, and insist that before a local authority closes any health or care service it should have to look at whether a social enterprise could do it instead.
Unions, however, see a deeply worrying fragmentation and monetisation of the NHS – privatisation by the back door.
Christina McAnea, head of health at Unison, has called social enterprises "a leap in the dark that could have damaging implications for patients, staff and the future of the health service".
Unison and the British Medical Association both say the majority of NHS staff aren't keen, and they warn there is nothing to stop a social enterprise ultimately being sold to a profit-making company and prioritising users who are willing to pay – not those in greatest need.
Ultimately, they fear mutuals and co-operatives will fail to survive in a competitive market – and when they do, patients will be left high and dry.
