“We need a revolution in the concept of public health”

-First of all, could you explain what means ‘Social Innovation’?

It is a new expression to refer to an idea that has been around for a long time. It is the achievement of social aims with social means. Social Innovation is a way to get established systems such as health or education work better. It establishes new processes, new practices, methods or systems to renew traditional systems that affect the whole community, such as health or education...

For example, in the field of technology innovation is a constant practice, but not in the field of public services. The mobile phone companies are constantly innovating their equipment, very little each time a new release of Iphone which replaces the previous, and quickly reach all countries... but in public policy, there is no mechanism to replace the old idea. Furthermore, when a new idea or a new practice that turns on a site works, there is no way to spread the news to other places or countries... Social Innovation is also about finding new mechanisms to share these new ideas and export them to other sites.

If we look at the social challenges that exist today: climate change, an ageing society, the crisis... we see that there are not policies in place to work and we need Social Innovation to help us with this. The concept of ‘Social Innovation’ is applicable to all sectors, companies, institutions and organizations, whether public or private. The commitment to Social Innovation should be essential for the development of countries or companies seeking above all the welfare of its people.

-Is 'Social Innovation' known in Europe?

In Europe it remains a growing concept. The European Commission took the first conference on the subject in 2009, so in terms of the European Union is also a fairly new concept that has only three years.

There is no standard method for promoting Social Innovation, but it is clear that citizens should be in the center of the innovation process. The citizen is the source of Social Innovation. If a city wants to do something new, it should listen to the people to figure out how to do it. Changing the way government is doing now, deciding what should be done and communicating it to the people afterwards.

The beneficiaries of the actions achieved by Social Innovation are at the same time actors in their own development and thus have a stronger sense of citizenship.

-What benefits can bring Social Innovation to businesses and public institutions?

For example, on one hand, we have that our society is the victim of the ageing process and this has an important impact on our health system and, on the other hand, technology that offers sophisticated mobile phone models and other devices that would allow us to monitor people who are sick and alone at home. This technology could be used to ensure the welfare of these people, to see if they have been dropped or if it is more than one hour that do not move from place... And this is not done. The technology exists but is not used. There is a large potential market for the private sector to make existing technology being used, be useful and help solve society’s problems. Social Innovation is to use existing technology to make people live better than we have experienced so far.

Companies should ask themselves what they can do for society, not only how they can make a profit. Social Innovation can be a ‘win-win’ situation where both parties win there.

-What is the relationship between Social Innovation and Corporate Social Responsibility?

Corporate Social Responsibility is what makes companies aware of what they can do for the benefit of society. Currently, many business activities are against society and a company that was responsible for this should stop this kind of activity. Businesses must become more ethical and be ethical in their DNA. Corporate Social Responsibility is not to make specific actions to launder the image of a company, but this responsibility should be a transversal concept in all his actions. According to the aim of business is to make money, but at the time it was taking to get things right, without harming society. Coca-Cola should put less sugar in its formula, for instance, because excessive consumption of sugar can lead to serious health problems...

-Social Innovation can be a good strategy to make companies and institutions more successful and even more competitive?

What is clear is that it is the only sustainable way... A society with more Social Innovation would be a more successful and happier society and that eventually impact on the market. The companies should not be interested in harm society. How the private sector can benefit from the Social Innovation? Achieving 'win-win’ situations where everyone wins.

-How Social Innovation can be applied in the field of health?

Social Innovation in this field is to turn the concept of public health. We have to achieve that the patient himself ensures his health, begins to act to prevent its diseases. If you have type 2 diabetes, the formerly called adult onset diabetes, or you have blood cholesterol... you can be responsible for having reached this situation and it was on your hands to avoid it. All the decisions we make affect our lives, so we should improve our awareness and our understanding of health and act accordingly to avoid being sick.

The change is that people control their own health as much as possible. While in the past we went to the doctor when we were sick and the doctor told us what we had to do, now we have to be proactive in our health, we are more informed, we probably looked online, and ask the doctor about our options. It is a radical transformation in the health system.

In this regard Social Innovation is giving power to the patient (making him conscious and responsible) and making relations more equal between doctor and patient. The key is to realize that we control our lives and we are not just passive subjects within the health system.

-Can it have a positive impact on the public purse? If there are fewer patients, the cost of maintaining the system lowers...

Do you imagine how much money we can save with this? How many things could be done with that money to advance research, for example? Currently 5% or 10% of the money from the public health are intended to treat chronic ailments that could have been avoided, such as cholesterol or diabetes adult.

The previous health system promoted bad health, the new system should promote good health. We are changing the nature of the problem. With the new system individuals grow being conscious of the responsibility they have on their health. Until now it seemed that being healthy or not didn’t depended on you, from now on people should be aware that being healthy or not is a question often depending on the decisions they make.

In this sense, Social Innovation involves different actions in different areas. For example: How can we be healthy in a society where each ad offers an unhealthy lifestyle, foods filled with sugar and fat? This is where Corporate Social Responsibility must intervene, which should restrain companies when making this type of product. A revolution, in short...

*Peter Ramsden is a geographer specialised in entrepreneurship, regional, urban and local development, social inclusion and social innovation at national and EU level. He is also 4D Cities Pole Manager.