Organisation/institution: Centre for Health Economics and Medicines Evaluation (CHEME) at Bangor University
Key contact: Dr Ned Hartfiel, CHEME, Bangor University, ned.hartfiel@bangor.ac.uk
About the Social Value Hub
The Social Value Hub offers support, advice, training and consultancy to help organisations measure and communicate the positive changes they are creating for people and the environment. By measuring and monetising social, environmental and economic outcomes, the Social Value Hub can calculate a social value ratio comparing benefits and costs. A benefit-cost ratio of 3:1, for example, indicates that an investment of £1 creates £3 of social value.
In 2019/20, the Social Value Hub offered advice, training and consultancy to help organisations measure and communicate the positive changes that statutory, voluntary and charitable organisations are making for people and the environment in local communities. We formed partnerships including Conwy Council, Gwynedd County Council, Grŵp Cynefin, Community Care Collaborative, Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, Well North Wales, and the Small Woods Association. The Social Value Hub also built research partnerships with Cardiff, Leicester and Nottingham Universities, the University of South Wales & PRIME Centre Wales. Building on networking and collaborative opportunities, Dr Mary Lynch is a steering group member for the Wales Social Prescribing Research Network (WSPRN), which aims to generate the evidence base for social prescribing in Wales. The Social Value Hub also completed a report for Gwynedd County Council on the ‘The social value of subsidised bus routes in Gwynedd’.
Image: Dr Ned Hartfiel and Eira Winrow delivering social value training for the Wales Arts Health & Wellbeing Network at the Big Pit Museum in Blaenafon, Torfaen.
Examples of our work:
What is the impact?
In 2019-20, the Social Value Hub published three papers and protocols, supported three MSc and one PhD project on social prescribing and presented at four conferences. We also provided social value training to Cheshire West and Cheshire County Council, the Welsh Arts Health and Wellbeing Network (WAHWN) in Abergavenny and Bangor, Business Wales, Conwy County Council and the National Trust in Birmingham.
“Through the Social Value Hub and the membership of WSPRN, I am now a key member of the new Wales School for Social Prescribing Research (WSSPR), which is funded by a Health and Care Research Wales infrastructure fund. WSSPR works with the Wales Council for Voluntary Action (WCVA) and other partners to build the critical evidence for social prescribing in Wales with the networks seeking new collaborative research opportunities” Dr Mary Lynch.
Read more about the Social Value Hub here: http://socialvalue.bangor.ac.uk/
