Social enterprises working in the area of health and social care grew by 121 per cent last year, compared to an average growth of 42 per cent across all social enterprises, according to data from the RBS SE100.

The RBS SE100 Index is a listing of social ventures, ranked and scored according to their growth and social impact. 15.8 per cent of the 3503 social enterprises listed on the index are primarily focused on delivering health and social care services.
 
Health and social care is the second largest sector (in terms of combined turnover) listed on SE100.net and accounts for £852m out of a total ￡11bn turnover of social enterprises on the SE100 list. It is only superseded by housing associations.

The RBS SE100 Quarterly Report says that 97 per cent of income for social enterprises in the health and social care sector comes from local authority or health services contracts.

Tim West, director of Matter&Co and founder of the SE100 has predicted that future finance for the health and social care sector will be social investment.

“The recent announcement of a 30 per cent tax relief for social investment means potential investors will also be scouting this sector with their cheque-books open. The enterprises who succeed will be those who can evidence both their impact and their ability to grow.”

Big Society Capital and Nesta Impact Investments have both said health is a potential growth area for the social investment market. 

Many of the health and social care organisations listed on the Index are public sector spin-outs.

Jonathan Lewis, CEO of Bromley Healthcare a recent spin-out mutual from the NHS, said: “It’s an exciting time to be an NHS spin-out – markets are really opening up.”

He believes that organisations like his can “re-find the spirit of the NHS without wading through the thick mud of bureaucracy, and look after patients better and more holistically”.

Bromley Healthcare is currently working in partnership with Serco in Suffolk and is considering the possibility of working with them to bid for some of the ￡100m-worth of tenders.

The SE100 Index is opening to all types of social enterprises and social ventures, irrespective of legal form. But to qualify an organisation's primary mission must be social; it must make a significant amount of income through trading; and be run like a business with a significant amount of profits going back to the mission.