There is a fascinating policy debate at the moment that heralds the re-birth of mutual organisations' role in society (It's 'John Lewis' v 'easyCouncil, Guardian 12 November 2009).
All the main political parties are contributing to this debate. Labour is reported as seeking to commit, in its general election manifesto, to transforming public sector bodies into mutualised cooperatives.
Hospitals, schools, leisure centres, housing organisations and social care providers will be allowed to take control of their own affairs, if staff and users vote in favour.
The Conservatives are campaigning for what they see as a more civic based society aimed at increasing community engagement and encouraging social renewal at a local level.
They plan to reform the way local services are delivered in a way that gives residents more say – and this approach reflects the growing support for groups to come together to solve problems at a local and community-based level.
And the Liberal Democrats say that their health policies would turn NHS hospitals into employee owned trusts, making health workers stakeholders in the services they provide.
The benefits of mutual organisations
We should celebrate the fact that in democracies there are always a plurality of views. But where I do think there could be general agreement is in the benefits that mutual organisations can provide to the UK healthcare arena.
To date political support has been directed specifically towards employee-led partnerships to improve staff engagement. What is less widely acknowledged is the role mutuals, such as ourselves, can play in providing services, as a support to the NHS and other government service provision.
Not-for-profit, mutuality offers lower-cost healthcare provision, compared to the average cost of private medical insurance. Services are funded by members, for members, and delivered when they need it most.
With the public increasingly taking control of their own healthcare decisions through the patient-choice agenda, alongside the constant need to relieve NHS pinch points, mutuals can provide a safety net for NHS patients and alleviate some of the pressures on the NHS workforce to meet targets.
We believe that promotion of existing and establishment of new mutual organisations, in all their guises, can only serve to promote a more active society. One that is sorely needed in the wake of a recession which has seen consumers re-evaluate their practices and demand more transparency from those organisations they rely upon.
We at Benenden welcome this policy debate and hope that in the months and years to come we can help shape public policy makers thinking in this area.
Once again in our society, the feeling's mutual.
Ken Hesketh is the chief executive of Benenden Healthcare Society, a not-for-profit mutual organisation
