This resource pack is intended for those who provide health and social care and it offers a gateway to important information needed to set up or expand a service in the health and social care arena. The pack is also helpful to commissioners of services who want to contract with social enterprises.

The vision is that more health and social care services will be provided in new and different ways, making them more convenient and effective for patients and service users. Services will also be provided by an increasingly diverse range of providers – not only giving patients real choice over how and where they are treated, but creating a system where organizations can work to their strengths and push up standards as a result.

Much of the information contained in the pack has been provided by skilled and knowledgeable members of NHS Networks, an organisation which promotes and develops learning networks within the NHS. The pack recognises the different ways social enterprises can enter the health and social care system.

The pack is available from the Department of Health. http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Policyandguidance/Organisationpolicy/Commissioning/Socialenterprise/DH_080277