Using procurement and social value to support healthier, fairer communities

At a glance 

Service: Sustainability & Social Value 

Partner: North East London Procurement Partnership 

Customers: NHS trusts across North East London 

Focus: Using procurement to deliver measurable benefits for local communities 

Approach: Local needs analysis, stakeholder engagement, tender requirements and contract monitoring 

Example: Employment opportunities delivered through Barts Health NHS Trust’s linen and laundry services contract 

Key benefits: More consistent social value delivery, stronger links to local priorities and improved measurement of supplier commitments 

The challenge 

Procurement can create benefits far beyond the goods and services being purchased, but those benefits are greatest when social value activity is targeted towards clearly understood local needs. 

Colleagues across North East London wanted to create a more consistent and impactful approach. The challenge was to translate broad national social value objectives into priorities that reflected the circumstances of local communities and could be embedded meaningfully into procurement and contract management. 

NHS LPP’s analysis highlighted significant socioeconomic challenges across the area. Five of North East London’s eight boroughs are among the most deprived 20% of local authorities in England. Communities also experience higher levels of poverty, unemployment and other factors associated with poorer health outcomes. 

The partnership recognised that social value needed to do more than meet policy requirements. Procurement activity needed to support wider NHS and local objectives by addressing some of the social and economic factors that influence health. 

Our approach 

NHS LPP carried out a Local Needs Analysis to identify where social value could make the greatest difference across North East London. 

The Sustainability and Social Value team then worked with North East London Procurement Partnership to interpret national social value missions within the local context. Combining data, local knowledge and trust input helped identify priority areas and create a clearer link between procurement, health, employment and economic objectives. 

Priorities were integrated into procurement through measurable tender requirements, relevant KPIs and ongoing contract monitoring using the NHS national eProcurement system, Atamis. This provided a more consistent approach to measuring and managing social value delivery. 

The impact 

The approach is already helping suppliers connect contract delivery with wider community benefits. One example is the linen and laundry services contract delivered by Synergy Health Managed Services for Barts Health NHS Trust. The contract covers the cleaning, preparation and transportation of hospital linen while maintaining strict hygiene and decontamination standards. 

Recognising that deprivation and unemployment are important drivers of health inequalities, Synergy Health worked with local employment organisations, including Tower Hamlets WorkPath and Jobcentre Plus, to recruit residents into roles associated with the contract. 

The supplier recruited people who had previously been unemployed, promoted opportunities within the local community and committed to paying at least the National Living Wage. 

These employment opportunities support financial stability and economic inclusion in communities experiencing deprivation. More broadly, the programme has given North East London trusts a stronger foundation for aligning social value activity, improving consistency and measuring the supplier contributions throughout contract delivery. 

What the customer said 

“We wanted social value across NEL to be targeted, measurable and rooted in local priorities. This work has helped create a more consistent approach to using procurement to support our local communities.”

Daniel Montague, Chief Procurement Officer, NELFT, part of North East London Procurement Partnership 

“The way we approach procurement has the opportunity to drive wider objectives for healthcare. We’ve worked collaboratively with NEL Procurement Partnership to ensure social value is targeted towards the issues most affecting North  East Londoners, from employment and economic inclusion to health inequalities.” 

Jordan Knights, Social Value Manager, NHS LPP

Why it matters 

Health is influenced by more than access to healthcare. Employment, income, education and the conditions in which people live can all affect wellbeing and demand for NHS services. 

The NHS has significant purchasing power. When social value is aligned with local evidence and managed effectively, procurement can help address these wider determinants of health while delivering the products and services trusts need. 

The North East London approach connects NHS spending with community priorities and strengthens accountability by ensuring commitments can be monitored and reported. By combining local insight with practical procurement measures, the partnership has created a model for delivering measurable social value alongside essential healthcare services.  

Find out more 

As an NHS organisation, NHS LPP acts as a trusted partner for trusts and ICBs, ensuring that your commercial approach delivers the best possible benefits for patients, for your bottom line and for the environment. To find out more, please email gstt.socialvalue@nhs.net.