Hywel Dda University Health Board (UHB) has a wide reach, providing healthcare services to 380,000 people throughout Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

This provision includes:

• GP surgeries
• Dentists
• Optometry
• Four district general hospitals
• Community services

All of these services create a significant Social Value for local communities.  

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hywel Dda UHB saw that an effective recovery would need to be inclusive, address social inequalities, and keep wealth within local areas.

Therefore, the board made it a priority to embed the Well-being of Future Generations (Wales) Act 2015 in its operations - and started working with Social Value Portal.  

Identifying priorities for the health board

The key output of Social Value Portal's work with Hywel Dda University Health Board was a Local Needs Analysis document, covering all three of its local authorities.

These documents have given the board a clear view of local deprivation and community needs - particularly in relation to the seven wellbeing goals set out in the Well-being of Future Generations Act.

The level of detail in the Local Needs Analysis has allowed the board to understand communities like never before.

The data is incredibly rich but it’s also very simple to navigate, understand and use in designing and thinking about the way in which we deliver services. Until now, we were approaching the Act through quite a piecemeal approach. We had some great examples of case studies individually, but we neglected the overarching framework. As we emerge now, we can mainstream the impact we can have through procurement, through finance, which is a really key opportunity for us.

Huw Thomas, Director of Finance, Hywel Dda University Health Board

With a much clearer idea of key needs in each local authority, the board can now focus far more effectively on the most pressing priorities, and be sure it is delivering impactful Social Value.  

Getting the supply chain on board

Given the transformative impact of the pandemic on health services, effective measurement of Social Value has become more important than ever.

Hywel Dda University Health Board intends to use the research provided by Social Value Portal to adapt its approach to both clinical and corporate services, optimising their effect on the community.

The board's focus is now working with partners and championing Social Value as a key priority area for the public sector.

This includes adapting the necessary skillsets relating to procurement and helping suppliers produce the best value for every NHS pound spent. This is a different approach to procurement, one that entails a deeper look into the supply chain.

I want to get to a place where we can think very differently about our supply chain. We need to make sure we are engaging with our local communities and putting wealth back, but also driving our recruitment activities so that we go into those areas where there aren’t the great job prospects that you might hope for and tailor our offering to reflect the needs of those people. The long-term impact of this will be to change the way in which we respond to our communities' needs from a healthcare perspective, but also respond to our communities' needs in terms of our corporate objectives.

Huw Thomas, Director of Finance, Hywel Dda University Health Board

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