Summary

This knowledge exchange project was a collaboration between Manchester Metropolitan University and NHS Manchester, working closely with Co-operatives UK and Community Catalysts CIC (a social enterprise representing small, local, independent care providers).  It supported seminars, placements and impact generation for third sector organisations that wished to learn more about working with the NHS and local authorities.

The main impact generating activity was further development of Balance - on-line diagnostic tool created by Mike Bull and colleagues  with ESF funding for ‘Improving Managerial Skills in Social Enterprises’  from 2002 – 2006. Balance helps social enterprises self-analyse and identify where their skills, strengths and shortcomings lie. The original plan was to add a new section on readiness for public sector contracts. In consultation with social enterprises and support organisations the new section was refocused to cover income diversification more widely. It was added in April 2010 and since then 540 social enterprises have registered to use the tool and 380 assessments have been completed.

Project placements enhanced exchange of knowledge between social science researchers and Third Sector frontline and infrastructure organisations. CoI Mike Bull undertook a placement with Community Catalysts CIC to scope information needs to support the market for micro-providers. Jenny Fisher was placed with Co-operatives UK to follow up co-operative enterprises recently supported  under a  Department of Health programme to demonstrate how personalised adult social care could be extended by developing collaborative, co-operative organisational forms.

Key Findings

Social care co-operatives have potential to develop and innovate in local provider markets with collective models of care that can be a practical alternative to more individualised, consumer versions of personalised care.
Public sector commissioners and third sector suppliers often struggle to make sense of each other’s worldviews and working assumptions.
Sharable representations - drawings, models, diagrams - can act as ‘boundary objects’, supporting interaction across sectors

Partners:

Mike Bull Co-investigator; Jenny Fisher  Placement Fellow

Outputs

• Fisher J., Baines S. and Rayner M.  (2012) Personalisation and the Co-operative Tradition, Social Policy & Society 11(4): 507-518.
• Baines, S., Bull, M. and Woolrych, R. (2010) A more entrepreneurial mindset? Engaging Third Sector Suppliers to the NHS, Social Enterprise Journal, 6 (1): 49 – 58.
• Fisher, J., Baines, S. and Rayner, M. (2011)  Personalisation of social care and health - a co-operative solution,  available at: http://www.uk.coop/resources/documents/personalisation-social-care-and-health-co-operative-solution
• Hardill, I. and Baines, S. (2011) Enterprising care? Voluntary action in the 21st century, Bristol, The Policy Press. (Chapter 5, Voluntary and community sector organisations as enterprising care providers).
• Baines S., Bull M., Fisher J., Rayner M (2010) The Co-operative Tradition and the Personalisation of Social Care and Health: paper presented at the Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship Conference, Grand Connaught Rooms, London.
• In addition to these outputs we have been invited to present findings to social enterprise and policy audiences
• Baines, S. ‘Personalisation of social care and health’, Co-operatives UK annual conference, Plymouth, 26th – 27th June 2010.
• Baines, S. and Bull, M. Engaging Third Sector Suppliers to the NHS’, the board of Turning Point,  Manchester, 2nd July 2010.
• Bull, M. ‘Transforming NHS Service Provision:  Examining the Role of Social Enterprises’ Westminster Policy and Practice Briefing, London, 15th February, 2011;