Social Enterprise Pathfinder Programme
In January 2007 the Department of Health announced those schemes that had been successful in applying for inclusion in the Department’s pathfinder programme for Social Enterprise. A new Grimsby project designed to meet the health and social care needs of some of the most vulnerable groups of society had received ministerial approval. The Open Door Project beat off competition from 5000 other applicants to be one of 22 projects nationally to be awarded "pathfinder" status by Ivan Lewis, Minister of Health.
Open Door was set up as a local social enterprise and provides a broad spectrum of services aimed at improving quality of life. Social enterprises are dynamic businesses with social and environmental aims. Other well known examples include The Big Issue in the North, Café Direct and Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen.
The local project intends to provide a wide range of key services including general medical services as well as nurse-led health and social care support.
The awarding of pathfinder status for the Open Door Project is fantastic news and a great endorsement of the project’s aims. Only 62% of the local population have access to private transport and it is often the most vulnerable or marginalised groups in society that experience the most difficulty in accessing health and social care. The aim is to bring specialist provision into the most deprived local communities in order to improve access to essential services for some of the people most in need.
Open Door has received national recognition for its innovative use of a Design Engineer who has previously worked for the Design Council to work alongside potential service users to design a bespoke service. Read the findings of the Design Engineer on the Report section.