Out of hours medical provider Urgent Care 24 has been given a prestigious social enterprise award.
The Social Enterprise Mark identifies businesses which are trading to benefit society and the planet as a whole, and organisations have to meet defined criteria in order to have the mark bestowed upon them.
Urgent Care 24 is owned by its members and membership is open to local clinicians, members of staff, and the general public who live or work within its operating areas.
Unusually for out-of-hours medical services, Urgent Care 24 employs only local GPs, and rarely has to resort to the use of locum agencies.
The organisation joins other ethical businesses that have been recognised by being awarded the Mark, such as the Eden Project and Hill Holt Wood.
Government data estimates that there are 62,000 social enterprises across the UK, contributing £24 billion to the economy and employing about 800,000 people.
Recent research by the Social Enterprise Coalition’s State of Social Enterprise Survey 2009, found that social enterprises are twice as confident of growth compared to typical small to medium enterprises (SMEs), with 48% of social enterprises saying they are positive about the future as opposed to just 24% of SMEs.
Dr Mark Burns, Chair of Urgent Care 24, said: “Our organisation is absolutely committed to supporting sustainable businesses and consequently helping local communities to thrive and prosper, and we are very proud to have been awarded the Social Enterprise Mark.”
Nigel Wylie, Chief Executive of Urgent Care 24, said: “It’s interesting to see the growth in the role of Social Enterprises in the delivery and potential future commissioning of healthcare as envisaged in the recent Health White paper.
"Thanks to our strategic planning here at Urgent Care 24,I believe that we are well placed to play our role in these changes.”
Lucy Findlay, from the Social Enterprise Mark Company, said: “We are delighted to award the prestigious Social Enterprise Mark to Urgent Care 24.
"Social enterprises come in all shapes and forms, so it’s great to see a vital, local organisation understanding the importance of being part of the wider social enterprise brand.”
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