SCA Healthcare plans to fill this gap with the establishment of five dentist practices in some of the less prosperous areas of the central south coast. The practices are set up on a robust business model but pledge that no more than 30% of their services will be on a private basis.
It is set up as an Industrial and Provident Society, like its parent company the SCA Group and two of its three ‘sister’ companies (the other is a Company Ltd by Guarantee). That means that every penny of surplus is reinvested to further advance services to patients.
Going with the stones that roll
Apart from filling gaps in ‘market failure’ the story of the development of the SCA group is a great example of another social enterprise advantage – the flexibility to respond to opportunities.
- Recognising the increasing demand for NVQ’s in Care, they set up the Quinn Centre to meet this need.
- When SCA were invited to provide support to some arrivals from the newly enlarged European union they responded by starting up Intercare Europe which not only recruits staff but provides them with a full range of support and settlement services.
- When they heard about a campaign to save the New Forest’s Fenwick Hospital from closure they were quick to act and have now secured £766,000 capital plus £96,000 revenue from the Department of Health’s pathfinders scheme towards refurbishment of the hospital, set to open in April of next year.
"The Fenwick hospital was opened to serve the community in 1908 – in 2008 it will continue its mission as a community health and well being centre with the aim of helping people live as long as possible in their own homes"
So says Brian Strevens, SCA Groups Chief Executive who has guided the company from it’s gestation as a spin off from the local CVS 13 years ago to a company with a £7m turnover.
It has gone along way towards its aims: to increase the volume and quality of social care and health services available but also to support social and health care innovations that enable more 'public value' to be delivered with scarce resources.
Social silicon valley
SCA is now working with the University of Southampton to develop a 'social silicon valley', a cluster of health based social innovators and enterprises to drive the next phase of health technology, service provision and related support. Combining the University's research, its cross-faculty Innovation team, and with the SCA's know-how and networks, our vision is to add a new dimension to the social economy in the South.
