Taking the initiative: Dave Dawes provides practical advice for nurse leaders and entrepreneurs

Q I keep hearing about 'social enterprise' organisations; what are these and how do they fit into the NHS?

A In the UK, health organisations can be public sector, run for the benefit of the community and owned and funded by the government (e.g the NHS) or private sector, meaning they are owned by private individuals or shareholders and primarily exist to generate profits for the owners and shareholders (e.g. BUPA, Nuffield).

Or they could be third sector organisations, run for the benefit of the community but not owned by the government. These are usually owned by members or a community and include many charities.