What the NHS Social Value Playbook 2025 Means for Health and Social Care Providers
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📢 What the NHS Social Value Playbook 2025 Means for Health and Social Care Providers
💡 Why This Playbook Matters
With the launch of the NHS Social Value Playbook on 14th July 2025, we finally have something more than policy slogans. This is the NHS’s first real attempt to make expectations around social value and Net Zero usable, specific, and enforceable for both NHS and social care providers.
While the 10% weighting for social value and Net Zero expectations aren’t new, this Playbook provides practical clarity on how organisations will be assessed, monitored, and held accountable.
✅ Key Points Providers Need to Know
- Clarity on Expectations — The Playbook defines what good looks like, offering tangible examples for procurement teams and providers alike.
- Alignment with Procurement — Commissioners now have clear frameworks for applying the 10% social value weighting consistently.
- Enforceability — The Playbook bridges the gap between policy ambition and contractual requirements.
- Alignment with ICS Priorities — Social value contributions must now clearly support local NHS Integrated Care Systems (ICS) objectives.
📋 Why This Matters for Bids
Whether you’re bidding for NHS contracts or supplying social care services aligned with NHS funding, this Playbook sharpens the focus on:
- Net Zero progress
- Local employment
- Health inequalities
- Partnerships with VCSE organisations
- Staff wellbeing and inclusion
It’s not just about writing better answers — it’s about backing them up with measurable, auditable action plans.
📥 Bid Writing Support from Impact Guru
If you'd like help aligning your tender submissions with the NHS Playbook or strengthening your social value strategy, visit our Bid Writing for Social Care Providers page to see how we can support you.
Written by Mike Harrison, Founder of Impact Guru Ltd — specialists in bid writing and strategy for social care providers.
Visit impact-guru.co.uk to browse downloadable strategies, method statements, or get in touch about tender support.