SVB’s work with Locala has given new focus to the company’s ethos, vision and brand, as well as enabling them to lead the conversation on value.

The Challenge

Locala Health and Wellbeing is a social enterprise that provides NHS and local authority care services for communities – from district nursing and sexual health, to school dental services. In spring 2022, the organisation was at beginning of its social value journey. Its leadership team had realised the importance of getting to grips with the topic quickly; social value was quickly becoming integral to demonstrating the value of Locala’s work within Integrated Care Systems and the difference it makes to local communities. Social value was also important in terms of winning public sector bids.

However, the team were unsure where to start.

The Solution

Locala contacted Social Value Business initially with a specific need in mind, however SVB’s Dave Webster, a voluntary sector specialist with 20 years’ experience – identified that the strategic opportunity was much greater. He worked with the company to complete a Gap Analysis, identifying the organisation’s starting point, strengths and opportunities. The Gap Analysis revealed a need for:

  1. A robust social value strategy, setting out the ambition and roadmap, and aligned to the Central Government social value framework.
  2. Independent measurement and verification of the value Locala was already creating. Locala opted to apply for Social Value Quality Mark Bronze accreditation, in the process developing clear commitments and measures for its social value performance.
  3. A tailored measurement framework that would enable the organisation to measure, monetise and report its social impact.Training and mentoring to help the team embed social value and develop clear processes and governance structures.

Mary Wishart, Director of Strategy & Partnerships, explained: “What we thought was our organisational need at the outset, turned out to be quite different – the SVB team showed us the potential for developing social value and how we could go about it in a much more strategic way. We have found SVB not just easy to deal with, but enjoyable to work with. They have been incredibly knowledgeable, patient and supportive in the time we have worked together.”

The Result

As a result of SVB’s work with Locala, the organisation is embedding and growing social value through its services and operations. Its employees have been upskilled in social value delivery and governance has been strengthened through the creation of an internal committee. Locala achieved SVQM Bronze accreditation in summer 2023 and is now working towards Silver.

Mary Wishart, Director of Strategy & Partnerships, says:

“The work we have done with SVB has transformed how we work with commissioners, with us able to lead the conversation on how we are delivering, embedding and measuring social value. It has given us a framework for how we approach many aspects of our work. We are now far more robust in our approach, and our colleagues have a far greater understanding and appreciation of social value.

“Locala is now in a place to drive the delivery and measurement of social value, which enables us to be very clear about our role as a social enterprise. We are able to show the impact of our work through the social value we create. We are much better equipped to respond to new business tenders and meet the requirements in our contracts. Moreover, it has given us a focus to our ethos, vision and brand as a social enterprise.”