Commissioning for social value can help address local health priorities and maximise value, new report says.
Social Enterprise UK has published a new report which argues local authority commissioners should consider social – and not just fiscal – value when commissioning.
The report - titled The Social Value Difference in Health and Care Commissioning - argued this could underpin joined up working across local authorities and Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs), and has the potential to transform health and social care services.
It proposed commissioners utilise the Public Services (Social Value) Act (2013). This requires public service commissioners to think about how they can also secure wider social, economic and environmental benefits.
Social Enterprise UK urges councils to give their commissioners more information and training on social value to help them take up the opportunities presented by the Act.
‘With the NHS having to find £22bn in savings by 2020 and local authorities having to deal with spending cuts, new models of delivering health and social care are desperately needed,’ Peter Holbrook, chief executive of Social Enterprise UK, said.
‘It is crucial that the findings of this report are shared with health and social care commissioners and procurement teams in across England. The Social Value Act is a tool that can help local authorities get the most value for every pound spent, avoid duplication and choose providers that deliver whole community benefit.’
