NHS London Procurement Partnership: A Social Value journey

Managing procurements for 40 trusts across five Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), NHS London Procurement Partnership (NHS LPP) is empowering its members to maximise Social Value through their procurement initiatives.

Read on to learn how NHS LPP is advancing the Social Value agenda in the NHS in partnership with Social Value Portal, forging healthier, more equitable communities.

Driving better community outcomes in NHS procurement

NHS London Procurement Partnership has been a trailblazer for Social Value, moving fast to ensure alignment with key policy and regulatory shifts.

In response to PPN 06/20, which embedded Social Value criteria into NHS procurement in April 2022, NHS LPP began seeking insights into the needs of London’s communities and building tailored solutions to help members address them.

Michelle McCann, Chief Sustainability Officer at NHS LPP, commented:

Following the announcement that PPN 06/20 would be applicable to NHS procurements from April 2022, NHS LPP took a strategic approach to launch a bespoke Social Value toolkit designed specifically for the NHS in London. This included the creation of a set of resources and processes to introduce consistency of application across London’s trusts and ICBs. Through user testing, we developed our understanding of both the social inequalities that exist within London’s communities and the requirements of procurement colleagues. This led to the design and development of a series of innovative training modules to communicate our Social Value methodology and empower colleagues in trusts to become proficient in Social Value to maximise the social impact that can be made by the supply chain in London through procurement exercises.

Setting the standard with the TOM System™ for the NHS

As NHS LPP has forged ahead in its mission, it has become clear that clear and consistent communication of targets, commitments, and priorities across the supply chain is key to success.

Social Value Portal helped NHS LPP embed these standards by developing a Social Value Measure set for the NHS in London, based on the widely adopted Social Value TOM System™.

With a transparent methodology, this NHS-tailored set of Themes, Measures and Outcomes can be used across projects to plan and measure Social Value initiatives. It is also supported by easy-to-use templates and thorough guidance for members, ensuring that all members can create and execute their own Social Value strategies.

Upskilling London trusts and ICBs

One of NHS LPP’s core priorities is fostering Social Value proficiency among NHS trusts. It has therefore created comprehensive Social Value training to help embed Social Value into procurement with efficiency, transparency, and impact.

NHS LPP started with a thorough needs assessment across different levels of the NHS. Having developed a deeper understanding of the unique requirements and skill gaps of different stakeholders, the next step was to tailor its training modules to address specific user needs, such as:

• Communicating with senior leadership: Why Social Value is necessary and its benefits for public services.
• Introducing Social Value to procurement and commissioning teams: How the NHS Measure set is defined and how it enhances the contributions of procurement to the NHS’s strategic aims.
• Technical procurement and contract management skills: Covering the necessary skills to evaluate, measure, and administer Social Value across the lifecycle of a contract.

Impacting local lives with Synergy Health Managed Services

NHS LPP’s work isn’t just upskilling NHS procurement professionals – it is also empowering its members to deliver tangible community benefits.

Take the example of Barts Health NHS Trust’s linen and laundry contract with Synergy Health Managed Service. In a testament to their dedication to communities, Synergy has logged an impressive £556,500 worth of Social Value on our platform, all representing real improvements to local people’s lives.

The business’s Social Value targets centred around driving economic equality and equality of opportunity and fighting climate change. These included:

• Investing £40,000 in tackling workforce inequalities in the supply chain, with £37,000 delivered so far.
• Pledging to save 149,000 miles through green transport programs and green logistics plans – equivalent to six journeys around the world and 59.6 tCO2e saved!
• Delivering 9 meaningful local employment opportunities and an additional 3 for unemployed people.

Measuring Social Value at tender and beyond

NHS LPP’s partnership with Social Value Portal and adoption of the TOM System put in place a robust process for measuring Social Value during the procurement process.

Projects are logged on Social Value Portal's Workspace, giving NHS LPP’s members the tools to embed Social Value across the contract life cycle and consistently prioritise target areas and demographics.

The future of Social Value in the NHS

Moving forward, NHS LPP will continue to help its members:

• Enhance their Social Value proficiency
• Deepen their connections to local populations
• Build more resilient supply chains

All of this is done with the aim of improving health and social outcomes for communities the NHS serves. The wealth of data captured on Social Value Portal’s platform will be key to identifying industries that can deliver the most Social Value impact, as well as areas ripe for improvement.

With support from our team, NHS LPP will analyse trends and patterns to discern the Themes, Outcomes, and Measures that resonate most with stakeholders and where refinements can be made. This will support the alignment of trusts’ and ICBs’ procurement activities with the NHS broader organisational goals – such as becoming the world’s first Net Zero healthcare system.

Sol Tannir, Strategic Account Manager at Social Value Portal, said:

We are delighted to be a part of NHS LPP’s work driving adoption and implementation of Social Value in the NHS across London. The groundbreaking strides they have already made are impressive and indicative of their desire to continue innovating to support their members and communities. We are excited to continue to support their mission to make Social Value a core component of procurement in UK healthcare.

Sol Tannir, Strategic Account Manager at Social Value Portal

Ready to level up your Social Value creation?

To learn more about NHS LPP’s Social Value work, you can explore their website.

And to understand more about how Social Value Portal can help you create more public benefits from limited budgets, book a discovery call with one of our experts.