Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, whether his Department is developing a plan to enhance the role of social enterprises in delivering healthcare services.

The Government firmly believes that providers from all sectors, including social enterprises, play an important role in providing high quality, safe and efficient care to patients, as well as helping to realise the ambitions set out in the NHS Five Year Forward View. That is why, working in partnership with Public Health England, NHS England and representatives from the voluntary sector, the Department is in the final stages of a review looking at partnerships and investment in the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector. The final report of the review is expected to be published in the spring.