Sustainability is a key consideration at the heart of every NHS procurement. Social, economic and environmental factors are assessed when planning, developing, sourcing suppliers and contract managing procurements. 

As a part of the NHS family, the East of England NHS Collaborative Procurement Hub (the Hub) has adopted the below in order to meet the NHS's net zero ambitions for 2040 and 2045:

• The government's Social Value Model, aligning with Procurement Policy Note (PPN) 06/20: taking account of social value in the award of central government contracts
• PPN 06/21: taking account of carbon reduction plans in the procurement of major government contracts

We also keep abreast of NHS England guidance, regulations around sustainability and the five social value themes: 

• COVID-10 recovery
• Tackling economic inequality
• Fighting climate change
• Equal opportunity
• Wellbeing

As more than 60% of the NHS's carbon footprint originates in the supply chain, the Hub, like all NHS procurement organisations, has a responsibility and the capability to make a significant difference. Not just for the sake of the nation's health but for the future of the planet. 

If you have questions on the role sustainability and social value play in our procurements, please don't hesitate to contact us. 

NHS Procurement in Partnership: Our Sustainability and Social Value  Mission Statement 

Sustainability and Social Value (SSV) has taken an increasingly important role in the way we carry out procurement across the NHS over the last few years and will be a huge part of what we do in the future. The four procurement hubs who make up NHS Procurement in Partnership (NHS PiP): NHS Commercial Solutions, East of England NHS Collaborative Procurement Hub, NHS London Procurement Partnership and NHS North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative, are committed to working together to consider SSV in everything we do. By collaborating on our aims and goals, we can share expertise, reduce duplication and achieve our objectives more efficiently. 
 
We have a dedicated SSV workstream which has set out clear objectives for how we want to support customers, suppliers and others in the industry to achieve and maintain sustainability. We have SSV representatives in every NHS PiP workstream so that it is considered in all decision-making. We have also been working on aligning our SSV communications so that all NHS PiP customers are aware of our aims and objectives. 

We are aiming to maximise our impact in the following focus areas: 

• Sustainability – Working with national/regional teams to deliver a net zero NHS by 2045 
• Social Value - Levelling up communities 

• Modern slavery – Tackling Modern Slavery and upholding labour standards 

To read more about our work and key areas of focus, please see our key objectives. 

Resources

• Find out about the Carbon Footprint of the NHS and what it would like to cut down on to help achieve its target of Net Zero.
• Read more about the UN Sustainable Development Goals, which we can all work towards for a brighter future.

Learning and Upskilling

• Net Zero and Social Value training - free and available to all NHS staff
• NHS England Carbon Reduction Plan training for suppliers
• Crown Commercial Service Carbon Reduction Plan creation and training

Initiatives and policies

• Procurement Policy Note 06/20 – taking account of social value in the award of central government contracts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
• Procurement Policy Note 06/21: Taking account of Carbon Reduction Plans in the procurement of major government contracts - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)