Care Opinion is a non-profit social enterprise. It is registered as a community interest company (CIC) and subject to the requirements of the CIC regulator.
To sustain our mission, we must earn money like any other company. Most of our income comes through subscriptions from health and social care organisations which use our service.
In England
In England our subscribers include a mix of large and small health care providers and commissioners, some local healthwatches, and the Care Quality Commission (CQC).
In Scotland
In Scotland we are funded by the Scottish Government to provide a service to all health boards. In 2015 and 2018, we were awarded this contract after a formal competitive bidding process.
In Northern Ireland
In Northern Ireland we are funded by the Public Health Agency to provide a service across the health and social care system of NI. Care Opinion launched formally in NI in August 2020.
Other income
We receive a small amount of income from our contributions to research or teaching. From time to time we seek grant funding to support projects which contribute to our mission.
For example, in 2016 we were awarded a grant by Life Changes Trust to support work with Talking Mats, which resulted in the picture stories feature on Care Opinion.
Annual accounts
Our annual accounts are available through the Companies House web site, for Care Opinion CIC and our predecessor company Patient Opinion Ltd.