The success of Scotland’s hub programme, which delivers community healthcare infrastructure across five regions, has been recognised in an independent report. 

An EKOS evaluation found that the hub programme has performed well against its original aims and objectives, delivering substantial social impacts and community benefits and with strong stakeholder support from all groups. 

Since its establishment 10 years ago, the hub has delivered in excess of £2.2billion investment in around 200 projects in Scotland across the healthcare and education sectors. 

Community benefit

Particularly noteworthy, according to the evaluation, is the role the programme has had in encouraging the adoption of community benefit clauses in construction contracts for hub and, subsequently, non-hub projects. 

The hub partnership model brings public and private-sector bodies together to deliver community infrastructure in five regional areas through their respective hubCos – the South East, North, East Central, West and South West. 

Infrastructure expert, the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT), conceived, developed, and manages the programme with a central management office and local programme directors providing oversight and support to the operational hub.  

The programme has created clear and quantifiable impacts for the public and private-sector partners who report that working on hub projects has helped to improve their skills and knowledge – particularly for the public sector as a more ‘intelligent client’ and giving the private sector a better understanding of the market requirements for community infrastructure projects.  

Supporting employment

These skills have since been transferred into non-hub public sector project activity, further expanding the beneficial impacts. 

One of the key benefits that the public sector identified is the high level of certainty that hub projects give, both in cost and timescale for delivery.  

And there is a further £1.2billion of investment in the pipeline, either at the project development stage or under construction, supporting a further 8,500 construction-related jobs a year.  

The independent assessment of the hub programme has shown it is well placed to contribute towards Scottish Government’s infrastructure priorities of net-zero emissions, resilient and sustainable places, and inclusive economic growth across public-sector community infrastructure investment.  

Speaking at the launch of the report, David MacDonald, national hub programme director at SFT, said:  “The level of construction activity delivered through the hub programme has exceeded £2billion, with public services now being delivered from high-quality buildings underpinned by a strong track-record of quantifiable and qualitative benefits being achieved.” 

A decade of success

He added: “To have maintained such solid support after 10 years is a major achievement in itself, demonstrating that stakeholders continue to have high confidence in the hub programme’s future. “Reflecting the clear and consistent feedback from stakeholders, the core recommendation of the review is that hub should continue to operate as a national programme, delivering community infrastructure projects through the five hubCos. 

“There is also a desire to see it evolve and take a pro-active role to further advance Scottish Government’s three principal policy objectives of net-zero carbon, place, and inclusive economic growth.” 

And finance secretary, Kate Forbes, said: “I welcome the findings of this evaluation report and recognise the valuable role that the hub Programme played in delivering much needed new schools, new NHS facilities and other key infrastructure.  

Positive benefits

“The hub programme has achieved a great deal in the past 10 years through forming effective partnerships between the public and private sectors and I look forward to that collaborative approach continuing, to deliver the community infrastructure we need while supporting jobs, apprenticeships and Scottish SMEs.” 

Other positive benefits of the hub programme that the report has identified include: 

• Projects deliver a better end-user experience 
• Higher end-user staff satisfaction/retention 
• Better integrated community infrastructure activity and service outcomes 
• Improved cost and time certainty achieved for public sector (procurement, delivery and operational) 
• Value for money achieved in community infrastructure project activity 
• Environmental gain – a better understanding of the need to reduce the carbon footprint 
• Productivity gain – an uplift from people with improved skills plus enhanced employability (construction community benefits) 
• Public sector gain – a better reputation in market for efficient procurement 
• Private sector gain – a better understanding of market requirements and ability to resource accordingly for anticipated demand